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Nate Spurlin has always wanted to be a voice in the Hip-Hop. His love for Hip-Hop goes back to his high school days where he would listen to J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Lupe Fiasco during his journey to and from school. His discovery of Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage in college steered him to commenting on new Hip-Hop releases on his Snapchat in the fall of 2017. Fast forward to late May 2018 and Nate was starting his WordPress blog, eventually, graduating to making his website Oldmlk.com in early October of the same year, Nate has become known for his expert analysis on the latest Hip-Hop releases. Translating his experience in radio and writing for the Daily Orange, the future for Nate Spurlin is looking bright. Now with OldMilk.Co serving as the reboot of Oldmlk.Com, Nate hopes to translate his vision through providing quality content centered around but not limited to Hip-Hop! You can connect with Nate on his Instagram and Twitter @oldmilk00!
On Episode 505 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor react to ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’ by Future & Metro Boomin!
On Episode 504 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor react to ‘Might Delete Later’ by J. Cole & his response to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Like That’ verse.
On Episode 503 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss We Don’t Trust You by Future & Metro Boomin!
On Episode 500 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor react to ‘American Dream’ by 21 Savage!
On Episode 419 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor recap 2023 in Hip-Hop by discussing the lifespans of albums, why Hip-Hop feels stale, and their favorite albums of the year!
On Episode 418 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor react to ‘Pink Friday 2’ by Nicki Minaj!
On Episode 417 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Heaven Knows’ by PinkPantheress!
On Episode 416 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Too Good To Be True’ by Meek Mill & Rick Ross!
On Episode 411 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘A Love Letter To You 5’ by Trippie Redd!
On Episode 405 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Hard To Love’ by Moneybagg Yo!
On Episode 403 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Goodbye & Good Riddance’ by Juice WRLD!
On Episode 402 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss Kaytraminé by Aminé and Kaytranada!
On Episode 401 of The Cap Podcast, Nate and Taylor react to ‘Richest Opp’ by NBA Youngboy!
On Episode 400 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor play a game of On The Clock where they forecast which artists will release music in 2023. Some names mentioned Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert, Tyler, The Creator, and more!
On Episode 334 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor wrap up season three by discussing their picks for Album of the Year (Women), Album of the Year (Rap), Album of the Year (Hip-Hop), and more!
On Episode 331 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Heroes & Villains’ by Metro Boomin.
On Episode 330 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Jupiter’s Diary: 7 Day Theory’ by Rod Wave.
On Episode 329 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Feed Tha Streets III’ by Roddy Ricch.
On episode 326 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor react to ‘Her Loss’ by Drake & 21 Savage.
On Episode 325 of The Cap Podcast, Nate & Taylor discuss ‘Ma’ I Got A Family (A Gangsta Grillz Special Edition Hosted by DJ Drama)’ by NBA Youngboy.
On the tenth episode of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin talks with Klassik Poet. about his music, New York Giants fandom, passion for books, and fascination with documentaries.
On episode 9 of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin welcomes Denzel Rodgers, host of the Bronx Bias Podcast. Throughout the episode the two podcasters discuss podcasting, Denzel’s hate for the New York Yankees, hot takes for the upcoming NFL season, and more!
On the eighth episode of the It’s All Opinion podcast, Nate Spurlin sits down with Solomon Francis, a photographer from New York City to discuss some of the ins and outs of photography.
On episode 7 of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin sits down with Jxhar to talk about his new album ‘Dear Mr. Dreamboat,’ fencing, his artistic process, and more!
On Episode Six of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin welcomes Neema Djavadzadeh to talk about his journey as a Houston Rockets fan, advanced basketball analytics, James Harden, the NBA MVP race, and more!
On the fifth episode of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin welcomes Bobby Manning to talk about his journey to reporting on the Boston Celtics, the current landscape of NBA media, and general thoughts about the rest of the NBA season.
On the fourth episode of the It’s All Opinion podcast, Nate Spurlin welcomes Jam Young and PIKE to talk about their rapper-producer partnership and their new project PB&J.
On the third episode of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin welcomes The Black Vaccine to talk about his mixtape ‘03 Lil Wayne,’ learning how to play the guitar, and Netflix’s latest blockbuster The Harder They Fall.
On the second episode of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, Nate Spurlin converses with King Shampz, CEO of Dead Wrong Records about Ben Simmons, Dead Wrong Records, what defines a classic Hip-Hop album, and more!
On the first episode of the It’s All Opinion Podcast, host Nate Spurlin converses with Anthony Obas about the NBA Playoffs, balancing tasks, Anthony Obas' book, and more!
After getting over the initial shock of the sonics and the presence of both artists lopsided in favor of Drake, Her Loss, the latest collab album from Drake and 21 Savage, has started to cement itself as one of my favorite albums of the year. I haven’t listened to any new music besides Her Loss. As a result, this playlist is compiled of my favorite tracks from Her Loss and some of my favorite 21 Savage & Drake songs. Tune in and enjoy!
The Hip-Hop community was rocked by the passing of Takeoff on Tuesday. Takeoff, a member of the Migos was influential in his role with the group and Hip-Hop. Because of this devastating loss, I've decided this week’s playlist will be dedicated to Takeoff, filled with some of my favorite Takeoff songs and verses. This week's playlist is comprised of music from Takeoff’s solo album, The Last Rocket, my favorite verses from Takeoff as a member of the Migos, and more! Long Live Takeoff!
With DJ Drama releasing Gangsta Grillz projects with NBA Youngboy, Jeezy, and Snoop Dogg over the weekend, I thought it would be a good time for me to pick some of my favorite DJ Drama collaborations over the past two years. This led me to create a playlist with my favorite tracks from the Tyler, The Creator, Dreamville, and NBA Youngboy Gangsta Grillz projects! Tune in and enjoy!
With Lil Baby releasing his new record, It’s Only Me, I’ve decided to make a playlist revolving around my favorite tracks from my favorite Atlanta artists. I could go on for hours listing my favorite Atlanta trap songs but for the sake of my time and yours, I chose to add the first twelve Atlanta trap songs that came to me. Throughout this playlist, there’s music from Lil Baby, the Migos, 21 Savage, Future, Young Thug, Metro Boomin, and more! Tune in and enjoy!
After an insurmountable amount of Hip-Hop music came out last week, I felt I needed a break from the genre. Luckily, Willow, Joyce Wrice, and Samaria, three of my favorite non-Hip-Hop artists, released music over the past week. This week’s playlist is comprised of my favorite tracks from the projects those three artists released along with some music from Lil Yachty, G Herbo, Quavo, and Takeoff. Tune in and enjoy!
I’m not sure when the meeting where Hip-Hop decided to drop more music that can be listened to in a week happened. Still, it appears that was the catalyst of the influx of music we got over the past week. This week, we got music from BIG30, YG, Freddie Gibbs, Boldy James, Kid Cudi, Baby Tate, Denzel Curry, and more. I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the albums from Baby Tate and Denzel Curry or the new singles from Roddy Ricch and Trippie Redd, but I’ve listened to (and talked about) the rest of the artists I previously named and you will too in this week’s playlist. Tune in and enjoy!
The past week in Hip-Hop music has supplied enough boredom to cure insomnia. With that being said, I’ve been listening to many of my favorite songs from last year, so this week’s playlist is compiled of tracks that qualify. Throughout this week’s playlist, there is music from Tyler, The Creator, Young Thug, NBA Youngboy, Drake, and more. Tune in and enjoy!
The new music from EST Gee and Symba + DJ Drama carried the past week in Hip-Hop, however, I had some more time to listen to music I’ve missed from past weeks like Realer 2 by NBA Youngboy. Additionally, Ab-Soul released a new single, so I included some of my favorite Ab-Soul tracks in hopes that he releases a new album this year. Tune in and enjoy!
NAV and Ari Lennox dropped albums last week that have a refreshing mild throwback feeling. Because of the great music these two artists released, I’ve included plenty of songs from their new albums as well as music from Lil Uzi Vert, EST Gee, Roddy Ricch, Willow, and more! Tune in and enjoy!
The past week’s musical output has been drier than a biscuit from Popeyes. This has led me to make a playlist comprised of music from some of my favorite artists who haven’t yet released an album in 2022. There’s music from Moneybagg Yo, Polo G, Lil Tjay, Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie Redd, Lil Tecca, Lil Baby, and BIG30. Hopefully, half of these artists release an album before the year is over. Tune in and enjoy!
After a week-long hiatus, the OldMilk Spins playlist is back. Comprised of OldMilk’s favorite tracks from over the past two weeks, this week’s playlist has a lot for people who love both the traditional and modern takes on boom bap rap. This playlist features tracks from JID, Roc Marciano, The Alchemist, Joey Badas$$, Ray Vaughn, Lil Tjay, Offset, Pi’erre Bourne, and more. Tune in & enjoy!
With new music from Rod Wave and Megan Thee Stallion, this week’s music output has been an example of the brilliance that is found in Hip-Hop’s rising generation. On this week’s playlist, I’ve included music from Rod Wave, Megan Thee Stallion, Cordae, Babyface Ray, EST Gee, Flo Milli, and more! Tune in & enjoy!
The past week in Hip-Hop has been a fruitful one with new music from NBA Youngboy, Young Nudy, and Doechii. I’ve included music from those artists in addition to music from Trippie Redd, Rod Wave, JID, Lil Tecca, and $not. Tune in & enjoy!
With there being a lull in new Hip-Hop music, the past week has allowed me to check out some projects that have fallen through the cracks. On this week’s playlist, there is music from Maxo Kream, Icewear Vezzo, Doe Boy, Nardo Wick, NAV, Rod Wave, and more! Tune in & enjoy!
The past week was heavily saturated with good music, so for this week’s playlist, I’ve picked out my favorite music from last week. Included in this playlist are songs from Joey Bada$$, Mozzy, Flo Milli, Rico Nasty, Lil Uzi Vert, and more! Tune in & enjoy!
This week’s playlist is a compilation of my favorite new music I’ve been listening to over the past week. Aside from the CMG album which has monopolized what I hear for the past week, I’ve enjoyed new music from Sheff G, Rowdy Rebel, and Steve Lacy. Joining the artists I’ve already named on this playlist are Flo Milli, DJ Premier, BigWalkDog, Joey Bada$$, Latto, and more! Tune in and enjoy!
This week’s playlist is a collection of my favorite tracks from the new projects released by Kota The Friend and Ken Carson. Also in this playlist are some of my favorite singles from CMG, NLE Choppa, Doechii, BlueBucksClan, and Key Glock. Tune in and enjoy!
This week’s playlist is an assortment of songs that have been stuck in my head over the past week. There’s music from Juice WRLD, Lil Tecca, Tyler The Creator, 21 Savage, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Amber Mark, UMI, and more on this week’s playlist! Tune in and enjoy!
This week’s playlist is a compilation of my favorite tracks of the week as well as some of my favorite tracks made by Drake and 21 Savage. This week’s playlist includes music from BIG30, Flo Milli, Westside Boogie, Drake, 21 Savage, Duke Duece, and more! Tune in & enjoy!
With the annual XXL Freshman list being released this week, this playlist is centered around the 2022 Freshmen. There’s music from BIG30, Nardo Wick, BabyTron, Doechii, Saucy Santana, SoFayGo, and more in this week’s playlist! Tune in & enjoy!
The past week was filled with great albums. 070 Shake’s You Can’t Kill Me and Vory’s Lost Souls were the main highlights of the week for me and the main foundations behind this week’s playlist. In addition to 070 Shake and Vory, I’ve included music from KayCyy, Polo G, UMI, Youngboy Never Broke Again, and Juice WRLD in this week’s playlist. Tune in & enjoy!
With one of my favorite Neo-Soul artists, UMI, releasing her debut album Forest in the City, this week’s playlist is comprised of some of my favorite Neo-Soul, R&B, and melodic tracks. This week’s playlist is compiled of music from Ari Lennox, UMI, Saba, Amber Mark, Childish Gambino, TheHxliday, Lil Tecca, Gunna, Kendrick Lamar, Kamaiyah, and more! Tune in & enjoy!
This week’s playlist is comprised of some of my favorite new music over the past week. There’s music from Dreezy, Hit-Boy, Baby Tate, Babyface Ray, Kendrick Lamar, Maxo Kream, Gunna, Jelly, Pi’erre Bourne, and more! Tune in and enjoy!
With Kendrick Lamar releasing his first album in five years, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, I’ve found myself relistening to some of my favorite Kendrick Lamar tracks. This week’s playlist is comprised of some of my favorite Kendrick Lamar tracks from Section.80, good kid m.A.A.d city, To Pimp A Butterfly, DAMN., and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Making cameos throughout this playlist are GLC, Jay Rock, MC Eiht, George Clinton, Thundercat, U2, Sampha, Baby Keem, Sam Dew, and Beth Gibbons. Tune in and enjoy!
With this week being slow in regard to quality music, this playlist is compiled of tracks that I’ve found myself listening to over the past week. I’ve rediscovered some of my favorite tracks from years ago, listened to some new music, and of course listened to ‘The Heart Part 5’ by Kendrick Lamar. There’s music from Kendrick Lamar, Saba, Nas, Dreamville, Vince Staples, Playboi Carti, 21 Savage, Metro Boomin, Tee Grizzley, and more! Tune in and enjoy!
o With one of the best rappers of my lifetime, Future releasing his newest album I NEVER LIKED YOU, I think it’s appropriate to make a playlist of my favorite Future tracks. So, this is what this week’s playlist is, a compilation of my favorite Future tracks from over the years. I had to make some hard decisions to narrow this week’s playlist down to 16 tracks, but I’m happy with the decisions I’ve made and I hope you will be too. Making cameos on this playlist along with Future are Kanye West, Drake, Tems, Gunna, Young Thug, DJ Esco, Lil Uzi Vert, and Juice WRLD! Tune in and enjoy!
Last Friday Pusha T released It’s Almost Dry, an album where the concept was basically a beat battle between Pharrell Williams and Kanye West, two of the best producers of all time. This week’s playlist furthers Pusha T’s concept as I select eight of my favorite Pharrell-produced tracks and eight of my favorite Kanye-produced tracks. On the vocals of these tracks are appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Tyler The Creator, Lil Uzi Vert, 2 Chainz, JAY-Z, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, and more! I hope you enjoy it!
Last Friday was a crowded one when it comes to music. Hip-Hop fans were treated to new albums from Vince Staples, 42 Dugg & EST Gee, Fivio Foreign, and Coi Leray, as well as two new singles from Lil Baby. I put my favorite tracks from those four albums in this week’s playlist with some music from City Girls and Fredo Bang. Enjoy!
The last two weeks have seen an influx of quality music with artists like Denzel Curry, Latto, and Dreamville once again demonstrating their consistent quality music output. For this week’s playlist I’ve included some of my favorite tracks from three albums as well as some songs from Dreezy, 42 Dugg + EST Gee, Gucci Mane + Key Glock + Young Dolph, Tyler, The Creator, Deante’ Hitchcock, and more! Enjoy!
o The music output from the last week was scarce, leading me to explore some music I’ve missed from other genres and some music that didn’t get the credit it may have deserved in the moment. This week’s playlist is a compilation of some of my favorite tracks out of those two categories. Music from $not, Orion Sun, Doechii, Joyce Wrice, Rod Wave, Leikeli47, Trippie Redd, Amber Mark, and Samaria are included in this week’s playlist. Enjoy!
The 2022 MLB season is now over leaving fans with lots of memories to cherish forever. Throughout the year, fans were treated to watching Aaron Judge chase the AL home run record and Albert Pujols chase 700 home runs. The Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners put an end to their playoff droughts. The Braves and Mets gave fans a division race that will be remembered for years and the Dodgers put forth the fourth most impressive win total in MLB history with 111 wins. There are so many more things to list like Shohei Ohtani becoming the first player in history to qualify for the league leader stats as a pitcher and a hitter. With one of the best seasons in recent memory now in the rearview, we turn the page to the MLB Postseason, the ultimate decider of MLB dominance. Here are my predictions for who will make and win this year’s Fall Classic, The World Series.
The Chicago White Sox have tugged at the heartstrings of the Southside faithful for 153 games where they now find themselves with a record of 76 wins and 77 losses and ten games behind the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians. This is a disappointment of a season for a young team that won the division by 13 games before being ousted in four games by the Houston Astros last season. Coming into the season there were massive expectations for this White Sox team to improve on their 93 wins from last year and win the division for a second straight year. The latter, a first in franchise history, would be the floor according to expectations that projected this team to make more noise in a crowded AL landscape. However, this White Sox team has found themselves mired in mediocrity throughout the season, sporting a .500 record a staggering 25 times so far this season.
It seems like everybody reaches a point where they join the “get off my lawn” music crowd. The same crowd that reminisces about old days whether they were alive to experience that era or not. The people whose minds become increasingly closed off with every new artist whose name has no face attached to it. The hyperbolic sense of importance and current relevance for an artist who made their debut fifteen years ago. It seems to be that time for a good portion of my friends, and I find myself relating to them in rare circumstances. So this leaves the question, which artists can the new entries into music geriatricness rely on to give them that dose of nostalgia they so desperately crave?
The success both artists have seen while making music almost entirely by themselves is a testament to their individual talents when put in front of a mic. In today’s era, it is common practice for artists to attempt to increase the chances of reaching a new fanbase by putting as many features as possible on their album, sometimes to a fault. The logic makes sense, if a fan of artist A will listen to whatever song that artist is on, let me put artist A on my album and attempt to endear myself to their fanbase. However, this logic only contextualizes how impressive the consistent growth we’ve seen from Rod Wave and Youngboy Never Broke Again actually is.
With the NBA Off-Season in full effect, NBA fans find themselves on the edge of their seat waiting to see what the future of the league looks like. Amongst those deciding events are free agency, the NBA Draft, and the meetings amongst team governors where they discuss new rules or formats for the future of the game. The three main topics of discussion are the sleep-inducing “take foul” where players foul opposing teams in fast break situations to prevent easy points, the Play-In tournament, and a new mid-season tournament.
The American League MVP race is heating up and the second half will be critical for splitting the necessary hairs to come to a decision. However, the most important question in this MVP race is simple: do any of these candidates pitch?
The answer is no for all these candidates except one, Shohei Ohtani. In fact, in addition to his impressive offensive numbers, Ohtani just put together one of the best pitching performances of June. In his five June starts Ohtani put forth a stunning 1.52 ERA while striking out 38 and allowing a .204 opposing batting average.
With the release of the annual XXL Freshman list commemorating twelve up and coming Hip-Hop artists that are expected to make an impact in the genre throughout their careers. Selected to the 2022 XXL Freshman List are Nardo Wick, Doechii, SoFaygo, Babyface Ray, Kali, KayCyy, Cochise, BIG30, KenTheMan, Big Scarr, Saucy Santana, and BabyTron. Some of these names are artists I’ve written or talked about within the past year and others are artists that I’m being exposed to for the first time. Having listened to a lot of their music and curated a playlist with some of their best tracks, here are my rankings for the 2022 XXL Freshman List.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers takes many angles, however, one that may go overlooked is Kendrick claiming his humanity by taking himself off the pedestal many people place him on. Many Kendrick fans look at the rapper as a type of moral authority in Hip-Hop because of his talent to examine society throughout his music. This all came to a boiling point during the protests of 2020 when the American public demanded to hear from Kendrick, a demand that was ultimately not met. Throughout the album, specifically on ‘Savior’ Kendrick references the situation while attempting to remind listeners that he is not trying to be anyone’s savior. The appeal of relieving himself of the pressures that comes with being looked upon as a savior may be a motivating factor behind Kendrick featuring Kodak Black throughout the album, using the F-word on ‘Auntie Diaries,’ and admitting to cheating on his partner. With these possibly calculated mistakes, Kendrick attempts to reclaim his humanity by displaying instances of imperfection. Kendrick’s attempt to reclaim his status as an imperfect being could also be the start of an artistic rebranding, ultimately freeing him from his current expectations and allowing him to take more artistic risks. The new risks Kendrick Lamar may plan to take could surface in his new artistic projects like the comedy he’s developing for Paramount.
The All-NBA team is a list selected by NBA media members to represent the fifteen players who have had the best overall performances throughout the season. The list is structured to include two guards, two forwards, and one center for each of the three All-NBA teams. Here we run into the crux of our issue. With Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid both being centers and only one spot on the First Team for a center the nod obviously must go to the player who won the Most Valuable Player award, Nikola Jokić. This lack of flexibility is the direct cause for Joel Embiid not being respected as a player who put forth a top two performance during the season.
A true Album of the Year contender must have a level of playback value that surpasses the levels of most albums released throughout the year. I’m writing this on May 12th claiming that Ramona Park Broke My Heart, released on April 8th, has become my go-to album in many scenarios. To put this in perspective, Vince Staples’ newest record has far outlasted the three other albums from Fivio Foreign, EST Gee & 42 Dugg, and Coi Leray that were released on April 8th in my music listening diet. Additionally, Ramona Park Broke My Heart is on pace to outlast albums from Pusha T, Future, and Jack Harlow that were released after.
It’s Almost Dry isn’t necessarily contrivance free. During episode 305 of The Cap Podcast, I told my cohost, Taylor McCloud, that Pusha T’s newest album feels like a beat battle between the two most prominent producers of the album and of all time. With Pharrell Williams producing seven tracks on the twelve-track album and Kanye West producing six tracks, (track seven ‘Rock N Roll’ featuring Kid Cudi and Kanye West is produced by both Kanye and Pharrell) it’s quite noticeable which producer concocted which beat. On Monday, three days after the release of the original album and two days after Taylor and myself recorded our episode, Pusha T released two more versions of It’s Almost Dry titled It’s Almost Dry: Ye vs. Pharrell and It’s Almost Dry: Pharrell Vs. Ye. The release of these two new versions of Pusha T’s latest album confirms that the noticeable differences between production styles within the flow of the album were intentional.
Two of my favorite drill tracks of all time are ‘War’ by Pop Smoke featuring Lil TJay and ‘Mannequin’ created by the same duo. Both tracks stand out in Pop Smoke’s discography as the perfect contrast with Pop Smoke’s menacing presence and Lil TJay’s melodic vocals complimenting each other. This provided a splash of diversity for a discography that felt one-dimensional at the time, serving as foreshadowing for what the next step for the subgenre should be. On B.I.B.L.E., Fivio Foreign follows the same formula with most of the features providing a contrast to the aggressive drill style while going a step further by picking beats with soft melodic foundations.
The sonics on Denzel Curry’s 2018 album TA13OO sound nothing like the sonics on the album that preceded it, Imperial, released in 2016. Furthermore, the sonics on TA13OO’s 2019 follow-up, ZUU, sound far apart from the two albums that preceded it. In fact, the two albums in Denzel Curry’s discography that sound the closest to each other are his collab album with Kenny Beats, UNLOCKED, released in 2020 and his newest offering Melt My Eyez See Your Future. However, while his previous two albums have a few common themes between them, those themes must travel a far distance apart to connect the two.
The chameleon nature in which Denzel Curry has navigated his career is a handful in a lifetime feat. With his newest album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Denzel Curry not only adds to the uniqueness of his discography but demonstrates his sound shifting talent and superior lyricism throughout.
I’m someone who can get bored easily. As much as I love music, sometimes the concept of sitting down and listening to a compilation of new songs for forty minutes or more can be a daunting one. The task becomes increasingly daunting when I step outside of my Hip-Hop bubble because what if I don’t like what I’m listening to? Each project I listen to should get a fair chance to win me over, so I sometimes struggle to finish projects from any genre. With this being established, any artist that can make a project that is over 30 minutes and keep my attention all the way through has my respect. With Three Dimensions Deep, Amber Mark can now add herself to the list of artists who have accomplished that feat.
Many people would credit Lil Durk’s new trajectory to the Drake effect: a phenomenon where rappers who appear on tracks with Drake see an instant rise in their popularity. A Drake feature can be a stimulus package of sorts allowing rappers to get a taste of the attention that comes with being a part of one of the biggest tracks of the year statistically. However, the hype that comes a rapper’s way because of this Drake stimulus package isn’t the easiest to maintain as we’ve seen artists like BlocBoy JB fade away after his smash hit ‘Look Alive’ featuring Drake peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018. On the flip side, we’ve seen artists take the influx of eyes that come from making a track with Drake and run with it, solidifying their spot in Hip-Hop. Lil Baby is the most prominent example of this with his track ‘Yes Indeed’ featuring Drake peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 catalyzing his quick rise to the top.
After being pardoned and released from incarceration in January 2021, Kodak put out two EPs within a month, Haitian Boy Kodak and Happy Birthday Kodak. Both projects failed to crack the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with the former peaking at #25 and the latter peaking at #180. Between the disappointing numbers and feelings of not being respected by his peers as his legend status commands it would be easy for Kodak to quit music. Kodak could’ve been the latest washed-up superstar trying to remind music fans about what he did years ago in a futile attempt to demand his respect. Instead, Kodak came back in 2022 to give us what may possibly be the best album in his discography.
BIG30’s content doesn’t differ from the status quo content that we’re used to out of Hip-Hop artists. BIG30, like most rappers, primarily raps about his disdain for the opps, how rich he is, where he’s from, and the number of women he entertains. There’s nothing to write home about there, however, what there is to write home about is the brash, straightforward way he’s able to communicate his thoughts. BIG30’s delivery sets him apart from the rest of 2021’s rising stars as he creates music that easily resonates with whoever listens to it.
I’ve known about Saba for a few years now, as one of my friends would always talk about him, but he could never sell me enough to make me sit down and listen to Saba’s music. Perhaps he should’ve played some for me to get the ball rolling but I digress. Maybe, I don’t digress because when my friend sent me a link to the final single in Saba’s rollout, ‘Survivor’s Guilt’ featuring G Herbo, I was intrigued. My intrigue grew when I finally heard the song and after that, I instantly became excited for Few Good Things. The excitement I had coming into Saba’s latest project was rewarded with a masterpiece.
As Atlanta’s dominance as the epicenter of Hip-Hop starts the backside of its lifespan, new cities have begun to explode with talent in hopes that their region will be stamped as the next epicenter of Hip-Hop. In my view, two cities have separated themselves from the rest of the pack to this point. The first is Memphis, Tennessee, home of break-out stars like Moneybagg Yo, Pooh Shiesty, and BIG30, as well as Hip-Hop moguls Yo Gotti and the late Young Dolph. The second city Detroit, Michigan, home to Hip-Hop mainstays Eminem and Big Sean has seen a renaissance with new rappers like 42 Dugg and Icewear Vezzo poised to carve out a niche in the game for the Detroit sound. Also sharing responsibility for Detroit's Hip-Hop renaissance is Babyface Ray and his new project FACE may solidify Detroit's up next status.
Recentering around the thesis of whether posthumous albums are ethical, I’d say the answer is a case-by-case basis. With every posthumous album comes a new chance for fans to collectively mourn the death and celebrate the legacy of their favorite artist. However, the key distinguishing trait between an ethical posthumous album and an unethical one is taste. Was the album clearly done with good taste or was it treated as a money grab by greedy labels trying to squeeze every nickel and penny out of their once-living cash cow?
The new interpretation of the Best Melodic Rap Performance category by the Grammys should’ve opened the door for artists who’ve been looked over because they lacked the traditional Hip-Hop sound. One would think the Grammys would find a newfound appreciation for artists who toe the line between Hip-Hop and genres such as R&B or Gospel while still maintaining both feet firmly in the Hip-Hop genre like Lil Durk or Rod Wave. Artists who don’t quite fit in any boxes but transcend genres in an act of music rebellion that combine Hip-Hop with outside genres to create beautiful music. However, artists who fit the profile of what I just described are still being looked over by the Grammys in favor of their interpretation of Hip-Hop that is littered with misconceptions.
Hopefully, these unfortunate events will sound the alarm for everyone. Promoters need to do their due diligence in preparing for the possibility of an emergency. Artists need to do a better job of understanding their influence and the impact their words will have on a crowd of thousands of people who share in a fandom of the artist that can be described as cult-like. Lastly, fans need to be more considerate of others, understanding that the concert experience is something that is shared and doesn’t excuse the dismissal of basic humanity. On all three phases, this was a complete failure of the festival system, however, it could be a much-needed wake-up call that cements a precedent of safety over everything.
An additional aspect that lengthened his musical absence may go unnoticed by the casual fan, how much Lil Uzi Vert cares about the quality of his music. This is an easy takeaway if you’ve listened to any of his projects in full or catch clips of him discussing why he doesn’t meet the deadlines he sets for himself to release new music. The most recent example is Lil Uzi discussing with a fan why his upcoming project The Pink Tape wouldn’t be released before Halloween as he had claimed. “It drops next week and then it sells like s**t then I got to hear it from 100,000 people on the internet, ‘this sucks,’ so you got to let me take my time,” Uzi explained.
The lack of sonic consistency is something that created a cult fanbase of Young Thug fans who will gladly open their minds to the latest concept the Atlanta rapper has put on a record. However, the lack of consistency would be enough to alienate borderline fans who may have expected Thugger’s projects to sound like fifteen versions of ‘Lifestyle’ back to back. One thing that helps to endear an artist to casual fans is consistently delivering on the expectation of what their music would sound like. The idea that fans will hear another version of their favorite track from a specific artist is what helps each artist keep the gravitational pull they have with their fanbase.
The SoundCloud era was a beautiful concept especially for someone like me who doesn’t like the feeling of products being forced in front of my face in a sort of “you can be on this train or under it” hostage situation. I like for things to be organic. I’m a fan of organic growth, organic marketing, organic food, etc… That’s what the Soundcloud era was, organic music being allowed to grow because people actually enjoyed the music and wanted to listen to it on repeat instead of music “growing” because it’s being played on the radio ten times an hour. Additionally, because of the organic nature of Soundcloud, artists were able to take more risks with blending genres, case in point, the Emo-Rap subgenre that at times dominated Hip-Hop in the late 2010s.
In my view there a collab project can go one of two ways, the first being artists finding common ground with their contrasting styles and the second being artists with similar skillsets attempting to compliment each other on each track. There are multiple examples of successful collab projects using both techniques in recent history. Of course, there are examples of artists with limitless skillsets coming together to create great projects like Future’s collab discography with Young Thug, Juice WRLD, and Lil Uzi Vert. However, I don’t see Lil Baby and Lil Durk as artists with limitless skillsets to this point so, I’ll digress from that and focus on the two methods I previously illustrated.
However, the answer to the question I posed earlier regarding what experimental rappers mean for Hip-Hop is simple, they are the most important rappers in the game right now. Generations after us, if not our very own may inevitably become bored with the current Atlanta trap boom, and with every day Trap is the most dominant subgenre in Hip-Hop comes an increased urgency to figure out what the next big thing is for the genre. Historically, the adaptability of the genre is one of the strengths of Hip-Hop, and the reason why the genre’s growth from 1979 to now has been exponential.
The reasoning of the snippets and leaks heard before the release of the actual album being better is interesting because it shows the existence of unrealistically high expectations with the absence of any context. Adding in the damage leaks can do to an artist’s creative process, with their now leaked music becoming obsolete, many times forcing them to start from square one once again, it’s completely understandable for an artist to change direction with their officially released music.
Let me start off by saying that on the spectrum of fandom, I am a casual Carti fan who leans more to being a die-hard fan. I think Carti has carved out his own niche to include great beat selection paired with catchy lyrics and flows while still surprising fans with how melodic he can be at times. I think Carti is potentially one of the most underrated rappers despite his lack of traditional rap skills. This being said, I found myself massively disappointed in the product that was “Whole Lotta Red.”
Because of the latest Black lives that have been stolen from us at the hands of the police, I found myself at a loss for what music I should play. The deafening silence from the artists, record labels, and fans within the Hip-Hop genre, during this time of protest against the exploitation of Black people, is unacceptable. The silence is especially troubling because one would assume that the many people who make money off of the telling of experiences that I, a Black man in America can relate to, would be able to relate to the horror any Black person faces in an interaction with law enforcement.
Coming off his continuous run of being one of the most requested artists for a feature in the game, rapper Gunna is back with his first project of this decade titled “WUNNA.” For the most part, what we know about Gunna is cemented, a rapper who relies on his cadence and flow to cultivate a sense of chill on all his tracks. However, what is Gunna’s secondary sound? How versatile is he? These are questions that for the most part have gone unanswered, however, hopefully “WUNNA” is where we will find the answers we need.
After releasing two projects in 2019, titled “Baby on Baby” and “KIRK,” two things have become clear about Hip-Hop’s newest star. The first consensus is DaBaby can clearly rap and make good music however, the second consensus is his unfortunate one-dimensional discography, seemingly using the same flow and same type of beat.
After finally releasing his highly anticipated project “Eternal Atake,” Lil Uzi Vert is back a week later with the release of “LUV vs The World 2,” which serves as a deluxe to “Eternal Atake” as well as a sequel to his highly acclaimed project from 2016, “Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World.” With two drops in consecutive weeks, Lil Uzi Vert keeps his promise to fans that he’ll be dropping music like it’s 2016 once again, hopefully making up for his two and a half year absence.
After a two and a half year wait, Lil Uzi Vert finally comes through with his sophomore album “Eternal Atake.” Uzi has put fans through some peaks and valleys, most notably retiring at the end of 2018, before releasing “Free Uzi” on Soundcloud followed by “Sanguine Paradise” and “That’s A Rack.”
After a busy 2018 that saw Lil Baby’s “Harder Than Ever,” a joint project with Gunna “Drip Harder” and “Street Gossip” projects come out, the best move for Lil Baby to avoid fans having Lil Baby fatigue was to drop a minimal amount of music in 2019. Now in 2020, following a year where Lil Baby had only dropped thirteen songs, Lil Baby fans are refreshed and eager for the next Lil Baby project.
Known for working with a variety of artists from a variety of spots on the Hip-Hop sub-genre spectrum like Rico Nasty and 03 Greedo, it’s no surprise that Kenny Beats teams up with Denzel Curry for their first project of the new decade, “UNLOCKED.” Curry has started to carve a lane for himself with his Hip-Hop talents being best described as laneless.
Brooklyn rapper is most notably known for reenergizing the originally Chicago drill sound in the United States, this time with a London twist. Pop Smoke aims to score another drill hit to add to his collection of tracks such as “Welcome To The Party” as well as “Dior” with the tracklist for “Meet The Woo 2.”
“Tha Carter V” was clearly a mix of holdover songs that survived the long delay as well as new songs injected into the tracklist to give the project a somewhat updated feel. However, with the release of “Funeral,” fans can finally gauge how much Lil Wayne still has in the tank.
Since exploding onto the scene with his smash hit “Shotta Flow,” Memphis’ very own NLE Choppa has continued his 2019 as one of Hip-Hop’s bubbling stars.
After dropping a series of successful projects in the past two years, Compton’s own Roddy Ricch comes through in 2019 dropping his debut studio album “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial.”
