Tag: hip hop

Music

Apollo Brown & Che Noir feat. Black Thought – Hustle Don’t Give

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date July 16, 2020

The opening bars on Hustle Don’t Give – “Raisin’ Hell, but the shit that I’m rhymin’ was Heaven-sent / Went broke and bounced back, I’ve been grindin’ out ever since” – perfectly sum up the vibe on most of As God Intended, the album it’s taken from: confident, defiant and by turns humble and elegantly self-aggrandising. the Roots’ Black Thought delivers a typically thoughtful verse and both his and Che Noir’s vocals shine through the sample-heavy, soaring production like hazy sunbeams glinting off rolling waves.

https://apollobrown360.bandcamp.com/album/as-god-intended

Tags apollo brown, as god intended, black thought, che noir, hip hop

Music

Rae Khalil – benny!

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date June 18, 2020

benny! is one of the breeziest songs I’ve heard all year: bouncy, chunky drums, hazy background melodies and Khalil flowing effortlessly over everything. In and out in under two and a half minutes leaving a dopey smile plastered all over my big stupid face. More of this please.

https://www.instagram.com/raekhalil

Tags benny, FORTHEWORLD, hip hop, rae khalil

Music

Preservation – Lemon Rinds

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date June 3, 2020

On his latest LP Eastern Medicine, Western Illness, renowned beatsmith Preservation – who’s produced for Mos Def, RZA, GZA, Raekwon and Aesop Rock amongst many others – crafts every beat from Chinese-issued records he came across while living in Hong Kong. The result, unsurprisingly, has a similar vibe to some of those Wu-Tang affiliates’ albums but absolutely stands on its own feet, with a heady, smokey atmosphere complimented by some solid guest features, including bill woods on the stand-out Lemon Rinds.

https://djpreservation.bandcamp.com/

Tags bill woods, eastern medicine western illness, hip hop, lemon rinds, preservation

Music

Kamaiyah – Extravagant

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date May 29, 2020

Extravagant is everything I love about Kamaiyah in a single track: big, bold, old-school sounding production, super-confident delivery and tongue-in-cheek lyrics that are perfectly balanced between the self-aggrandising and the ridiculous. “I took off big like a rocket / I’m eating sushi with my hands, fuck chopsticks”. Iconic.

https://twitter.com/kamaiyah

Tags extravagant, hip hop, kamaiyah

Music

Kota the Friend – Long Beach feat. Hello O’shay & Alex Banin

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date May 22, 2020

“I wanted to make a project that was about manifesting the things that you want as an individual, and only speaking good things.” So says Kota The Friend about latest album EVERYTHING, which is a genial breath of fresh air reminiscent of similarly sun-soaked releases by Anderson .Paak, and Long Beach is a breezy, infectious delight.

https://www.instagram.com/kotathefriend

Tags alex banin, EVERYTHING, hip hop

Music

Guapdad 4000 – Dolce & Gabbana Dalai Lama

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date May 7, 2020

“You already know I got bitches in Baguio. But, my family is from Olongapo in Zambales province. I also got family in Manila. So, like, I be out there. I really tap in with it. I literally know how to cook the tightest lumpia from scratch, chicken adobo, pancit, I even fucking eat balut!” (via Hip Hop DX)

Guapdad 4000 aka Bitcoin Batman aka Shia Labustdown aka Jean Fraud Van Scam aka Prada Prettiest aka Stone Cold Steve Flossin aka Valentino Viper aka Ferragamo Falcon.

https://guapdad4000.com

Tags dolce gabbana, guapdad 4000, hip hop, rap

Music

Zeroh – Hydro

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date April 29, 2020

This is taken from Zeroh’s new album BLQLYTE, which is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve heard this year. I guess ‘experimental hip hop’ would be a vaguely appropriate description, but it doesn’t really come close to doing it justice. It’s an almost overwhelming experience, and you really need to listen to the album in full to properly appreciate its depth.

https://horez.bandcamp.com

Tags BLQLYTE, experimental, hip hop, hydro, zeroh

Music

Shabazz Palaces – Fast Learner

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date April 17, 2020

This is one of most accessible tracks I’ve heard from Shabazz Palaces, who seem to delight in being as weird as possible. I’m calling it cosmic rap, although that seems so fitting I’ve almost certainly heard it elsewhere and am taking undue credit for it myself. Fast Leaner is the lead single from their new album The Don Of Diamond Dreams which came out today. It’s great, you should listen to it.

https://www.shabazzpalaces.com

Tags cosmic rap, fast leaner, hip hop, shabazz palaces, the don of diamond dreams

Music

Saint Mela – [Root]less

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date April 9, 2020

Rolling back to the heady days of winter 2019, when everything was simpler/better/precedented and Saint Mela were putting out absolute bangers like this. They’ve got a new EP out now which is what made me go back to this one. It’s good, but I reckon [Root]less is definitely still the one.

https://saintmela.bandcamp.com

Tags first bloom, hip hop, saint mela, [root]less

Music

Childish Gambino – Time

Post author By The Predatory Wasp
Post date April 1, 2020

I never really got the hype behind Childish Gambino’s last album. Redbone was clearly incredible, but the rest of it just kinda washed over me. Conversely, his latest (surprise) LP 3.15.20 doesn’t seem to have gone down so well, but Time is without doubt a toweringly brilliant piece of work, and I will arm wrestle to the death anyone who says otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D8m_uBu9mk

Donald Glover on YouTube

Tags 3.15.20, childish gambino, hip hop, r&, time