I understand no one cares what a middle aged white man in the Midwest thinks about hip-hop, but here we are fam. I am what I am and I’m trying to make fewer apologies for that. Lfg.
1. JPEGMafia & Danny Brown – Stop Scaring the Hoes
This sh*t is my jam. Minimalist, distorted beats with weird sounds that, somehow, still slap. Insightful, playful, mildly (wildly?) offensive, and often hilarious lyrics. The duo are even self aware of the strangeness of their offering, saying at points, “we don’t wanna hear that weird sh*t no more,” and, “how the f*** we supposed to make money off this shit?” It’s a banger. It’s aural anarchy. Which is to say, I realize it’s not for everyone; even among hip-hop fans. You’ve been warned.
Fav Tracks
Stop Scaring the Hoes : Burfict! : Where ya get ya coke from? : Jack Harlow Combo Meal : Fentanyl Tester
Also:
Danny Brown’s Quaranta is very much worth a listen too.
Nas – Magic II
I almost gave Nas gets top billing, largely because he was prolific last year. He released the third of his Kings Disease albums in November 2022, followed by Magic 2 in July 2023 and Magic 3 in September. That’s not to mentions several features and collabs that maintained this insane level of quality. These albums conclude the double trilogy Nas and easily producer of the year, Hitboy, have been working on since 2020. It’s an incredible string of albums🐐. Nas is always Nas, so it’s all about the beat, and personally I thought Magic 2 had the best beats.
Fav Tracks
Abracadabra : Office Hours (f. 50 Cent) : Earvin Magic Johnson: One Mic, One Gun
Killer Mike – Mike
I f***ing LOVE Killer Mike. His 2012 album R.A.P. Music is in my top 10 and on rotation. As one half of Run the Jewels, who I consider as close a spiritual descendant of Rage Against the Machine as exists in music today, he’s one of my absolute favorite MCs. Mike is a much more introspective and personal album, and it did take a couple listens to warm up and appreciate that. But the flow, the beats, the lyrical quality all reflect Killer Mike’s status as one of the🐐 in the game right now.
Fav Tracks
Down by Law : Run : Talk’n That Shit! : Don’t Let the Devil
Kota the Friend – To See A Sunset
I’ve been into rap since I was 12. Dre and Snoop were on MTV, and I remember being blown away by Wu-tang’s Enter the 36 Chambers (one of 12 selections from Columbia House, ‘member?). But I really cut my teeth on Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), Talib Kweli, Kanye of course, and the whole “backpack rap” era of positivity and empowerment. Kota feels descended from that lineage. Never into insults or crass, dehumanizing language, his catalog is all about living life to its fullest as a Black man in America.
ICECOLDBISHOP – Generational Curse
You may notice a trend in my preferences, what with the Killer Mike and Kota, the Rage, Mos, and Talib references: I love anti-establishment music. In hip-hop, that generally comes with themes of Black empowerment, which don’t alienate me at all. While it’s obviously impossible for me to fully understand, the themes are universal enough for this poor, smartass trailer kid from the Midwest. And right from the album name, ICECOLDBISHOP is clear he ain’t playing. The album is a romp through the present day struggles of a Gen Z Black man trying to navigate a world and a culture that don’t seem to know where to place him.
Fav Tracks
The Gov’t Gave Us Guns
Other Stuff I Liked
In no particular order:
Boldy James – Indiana Jones
Larry June & The Alchemist – The Great Escape
Metroboomin – Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse
Skyzoo – The Mind of a Saint
Key Glock – Glockoma 2
Black Milk – Everybody Good?
Westside Gunn – And Then You Pray for Me
Cordae – Tracks: Two Tens and Doomsday
Noname – Sundial
KAMAUU – LACUNA in the House of Mirrors
KAYTRAMINE
Lil Tecca – TEC
Jordan Ward – moreward(FORWARD)
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