Happy Thursday and welcome back to Pocket Full of Stones. It’s been a horrible week for mankind, so I’ll skip the pleasantries and cut straight to the raps…
ALBUMS
2kbaby - Pregame Rituals (Apple / Spotify)
Producers: Alan Passmore, Alexander Hoang Nguyen Thai, Busta Keys, Damichael Green, Danny Hajj, Deontay Jamal Brantley, Devon George, Shayan Danyal, Sonny Digital, Tyler Jay Smith, wasay waqar
Label: Masked Records / Warner
Standout Tracks: “20K”, “FAXTS”, “NEW SHOES”, “HALF A MILLI” ft. YFN Lucci, “OLD STREETS REMIX” ft. Lil Durk*
Louisville native 2kbaby sing-raps about escaping poverty with sun-soaked radiance and heartfelt sincerity. On his soulful debut LP Pregame Rituals, the nineteen-year-old repeatedly pledges to lift up his loved ones through music, using the spoils of his newfound fame to pay his brother’s legal expenses and square his mom’s debts.
2kbaby has a bright, luxuriant voice that cuts through expensive-sounding production with unusual clarity and complements his down-to-earth writing. The specter of his past - “cold winters, cold killers, and cold dinners” - is ever-present, and real-life stakes lurk just beneath his sweet harmonies.
*The appearance of Chicago drill forefather Lil Durk on the remix of viral hit “Old Streets” is a full-circle moment: 2kbaby told Complex that he learned to rap in his singing voice by listening to Chicago rapper Calboy, whose melodic style is heavily influenced by Durk.
Richyy Rich - Strreet Prophet (Apple / Spotify)
Producers: L.G. Beats, RTOnTheTrack, SourK, Stupid Genius
Label: Self-Released
Standout Tracks: “KO (intro)”, “Island”, “IN N OUT”, “WarFare”, “Gangsta Baby” “Blues”
Orlando rapper Richyy Rich has built a respectable regional buzz over the past year, and his 2020 LP Strreet Prophet showcases his slippery flow and easy way with melody. Richyy sounds most at home over humid guitar beats, which play to his strengths on tracks like “IN N OUT” and “Gangsta Baby”.
Rappers like NoCap and Rylo Rodriguez have employed a similar combination of homespun guitars and punchy wordplay with great success. Richyy’s take on the style is rougher around the edges, but the best moments on Strreet Prophet are still satisfying as hell and brimming with promise.
B4L Hotboy & Trip - The Unexpected (Apple / Spotify)
Producers: ???*
Label: Self-Released
Standout Tracks: “Intro (The Chase), “Hope”, “Rockstar”, “This Bitch Rockin’”, “Cappn or Not”
Atlanta teenagers B4L Hotboy and B4L Trip made an intriguing debut on streaming services with their recent collaborative project The Unexpected. Their low-budget brand of ATL drug dealer music retains a youthful charm that speaks for itself.
Over 13 tracks, Trip distinguishes himself as the duo’s leading man, zigzagging through 808s with a slurry, nonchalant flow that sounds like the beginning of something special.
*I couldn’t find production credits for The Unexpected anywhere online, which is frustrating but unsurprising given the duo’s relatively low profile.
SINGLES
Mozzy ft. Polo G & Lil Poppa - “Pricetag” (prod. India Got Them Beats & Seph Got The Waves)
Unlike some of his generational peers, veteran rapper and West Coast legend Mozzy has made a point of collaborating with the leading lights of rap’s Generation Z. The most recent example of this is “Pricetag”, a vivid piece of murder music featuring Chicago superstar Polo G and Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa.
Over an intricate loop from guitarist Seph Got The Waves, Mozzy and Polo G spit stirring verses about plotting on their enemies. But Lil Poppa steals the show, with an anxious delivery that splits the difference between catchy and totally closed-off.
Jackboy - “Cleaning Crew” (prod. Vicasso & Seph Got The Waves)
Speaking of Seph Got The Waves, Florida native and Sniper Gang vice president Jackboy also collaborated with the New Zealand-born guitarist on recent single “Cleaning Crew”. Jackboy has a long-held affinity for guitar beats, and Seph’s bluesy riffs provide a stunning counterpoint to the 23-year-old’s wistful street poetics.
“Cleaning Crew” is ostensibly a warning shot for Jackboy’s rivals, but it plays like an elegy. “Down bad, he feeling like ain’t no one to run to / Ain’t one of my patna dem, then n***a fuck you”.
Hotboii ft. Rylo Rodriguez - “Sick Of Cell” (prod. Trill Bans & Seph Got The Waves)
“Sick Of Cell” is another first-rate collaboration between Seph Got The Waves and a Florida rapper who favors guitar loops. Over a dreamy backdrop from Seph and San Diego producer Trill Bans, Hotboii weaves an instantly memorable hook about the claustrophobia of incarceration and the paranoia of subsequent freedom.
The off-kilter guest appearance from Alabama native Rylo Rodriguez provides a welcome contrast to Hotboii’s legible melodies, revealing the manifold ways that Seph’s guitar sparks inspiration in his collaborators.
Dee Watkins - “Goin Broke” (prod. Deskhop)
Florida artist Dee Watkins went viral last year with “Bad Ass Jit”, an understated ode to juvenile mischief that landed him a deal with Alamo Records. Chosen 1, his first full-length project under Alamo, is a mixed bag, with too many songs striving for a Rod Wave-style gravitas that’s ill-suited to Dee’s snappy delivery. But the project’s lead single “Goin Broke” is delightful.
Over a Caribbean flavored guitar loop from rising North Carolina producer Deskhop, Dee raps with tangible exuberance about how far his rebellious tendencies have taken him. “I got n***as in the dog pound, let ‘em out the cage / I talk shit and I get paid, we got glizzys on the stage”.
Tazz OTG x Dee OTG - “One Thang” (prod. Mikemadethe808s)
Baton Rouge teenagers Tazz OTG and Dee OTG have cultivated a modest local buzz over the past year with a handful of stellar YouTube collaborations. My personal favorite is “One Thang”, a clear-eyed anthem about the unspeakable traumas of growing up in the shadow of gun violence.
The two young rappers trade bars with intuitive chemistry, making the most of a cheap-sounding instrumental from type-beat producer Mikemadethe808s. The song’s most heart-rending moment comes from Tazz, who laments his stolen innocence in stark terms: “My brother died, my daddy cried, you know it’s hard for me”.
PLAYLISTS + OUTRO
As always, a fresh batch of recent raps is linked below.
I wish you and your loved ones good health and some inner-peace. Take refuge wherever you can find it.