Hi! Hope all is well. The year is almost over with, so make sure you try to flirt with that person  who ignored you the other 11 months. Go out with a *puts on sunglasses* BANG. ONWARD TO THE MUSIC.

Robb Bank$ – Griffith

Bank$ up and decided to let 3 new songs free on Black Friday. Griffith may honestly be the standout. Typical fare from him, aggressive raps over a beat that sounds like a circus nightmare. Just a fun song to listen to. There’s also a VERY TASTELESS stretch on here from1:37-1:41. I gave you a heads up; this probably made you want to listen even more than you did before.

Kelela – All The Way Down

This song came out 2 months ago, on Kelela’s excellent EP Hallucinogen. She’s made a lot of really, really good songs but this one…is the ONE. All The Way Down is evidently about dating someone younger and the emotion of being wrapped up in that. Even if you aren’t aware of that, the All The Way Down is just…beautiful. Its the feeling of being completely swept up in someone’s very being, turned into audio. I’ve listened to this song nearly every day since I became aware of how good it is. Lyrically, its up there. Sonically, its incredible. I really think it’s her best song yet.

Curren$y – Superstar (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

I think this is the song Spitta always wanted to make. Superstar is the major label version of his entire aesthetic: smooth, hazy tunes. For what it is, this is really a “song for the ladies” that is simply par for the course on rap albums. This one however, is very well done. The beat (that bass guitar..whew!) and hook are perfect, Spitta lays out the imagery perfectly, then Dolla $iiiggggnnnn slides in to tell you he’s going to relieve you of your girlfriend and bone her. Stuff like this is exactly what I want from Curren$y and I’m happy to see him get to this point.

Freddie Gibbs – McDuck (ft. Dana Williams)

This was extremely difficult for me.

There are SO many good songs on Shadow Of A Doubt. The first 6 songs are absolutely incredible.

I picked McDuck, a relatively underrated song on a quality album. First off, the keys are incredibly haunting. They also DIRECTLY remind me of the Resident Evil 2 save room keys. Now that I’ve got my bizarre yet extremely accurate comparison out of the way, back to the song. Gibbs raps about the paranoia that comes with success. He’s slowly distancing himself more and more from the street and is happier, but still has to protect himself. This very idea is approached in a really raw way, that can easily be masked by the tone of the song. Dana Williams is literally otherworldly on the hook. The song is really a treat, on an album full of them.

Jacquees – Ms Kathy (Make Up)

I saw Jacquees perform earlier this week. While i felt his presence needed some work, he definitely has talent. I immediately thought “he reminds me of Tevin Campbell”, which is certainly no diss. He went through a few songs, and I kept paying attention even though these girls in the front were yelling so loudly that me and my friends were concerned. He gets to this song, Ms. Kathy (Make Up) and my ears perked up.  Ms. Kathy is about winning over a girl’s mom, because you’re rough around the edges and she’s seen your type before. I can’t relate, because all the moms love me and tell me I am #beautiful, but I can dig the sentiment. Ms Kathy isn’t bad at all, but Make Up is really the highlight for me.  On Make Up, Jacquees tells of his plans to make things right with his special lady. He accepts blame (which doesn’t happen enough in RnB) and expresses how special she is to him. I like vulnerability in songs like this; it’s here in droves. There’s something very somber and serious about this song, something that forces you take Jacquees seriously. I believe in him, and I’m glad I got to see him live.

LNDN DRUGS – Fade ft. Mitchy Slick

I stumbled upon LNDN DRUGS on Soundcloud. Someone reposted the entire tape onto my timeline. LNDN DRUGS are a duo composed of rapper Jay Worthy and producer Sean House. They literally make G-Funk for 2015. I clicked play and skimmed through the songs and thought “holy shit, all of the songs sound like THIS?”. I LOVE 80s inspired stuff like this, so I was in heaven. Fade is about well….fades. Inviting people to come get their ass kicked. Jay Worthy sounds like what you hear in your head when you think “laid back LA street rap”. His voice and inflections are perfect for this type of production, and hes not bad at rapping either. Mitchy Slick (who my roommate in undergrad used to force us to listen to) has a nice verse here too. Such a fun listen. The whole project (Aktive) is enjoyable, do check it out.