B:Sides | 2026 Favorites ....So far

Vance: specifically for those who have not listened, we're t we are pretty much talking about to spin that conversation and pretty much its effect on black music, specifically hip hop, as well as female rappers and pretty much their reputation. So what I'm doing is I'm probab I'm definitely playing devil's advocate, not only because The song is actually pretty dope. Like I like the song. I like the the the conduction of it when it comes to the like the jazz influence and the background and stuff like that. But on top of that, I I feel like this is also Young Miami's first success outside of City Girls. And I also think that she's getting a lot of attention for this because she was also included in the whole Diddy situation. And she I found out earlier this week that she wrote a character, a character like letter to help Diddy's case, or help Diddy in his case. So I think that that's also draw, you know, draw drawing some attention because it's like, all right, like not only, you know, were you a part of this whole thing, and there are legal documents that have you listed as one of the people involved in this whole thing, but now you're dropping a song.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah.

Vance: Called Spin Net, and you're talking about, you know, the scammers, the boosters, it's supposed to be that entire how should I say, that entire stease when it comes to that life and that world. but I in regards to what Ahmad was saying, because Ahmad was definitely being very

Ahki: No, no, no, keep on. I'm I'm I'm I'm gonna read I'm gonna read I'm gonna rehash it once you finish it. Finish the point.

Vance: Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. Cool. Cool. Cool. So to my point, I I am playing devil's advocate when I say when we look at rappers like Rhapsody, when we look at rappers like Tierra Whack, like a great artist who has just dropped an album recently. We we we we Yeah. We don't talk enough about these artists because they're because they're not a a as flashy in when it comes to glorifying that side and that world and it's

Ahki: Yeah. I made it my favorite.

Vance: Honestly, that's not really them. However, you also have to understand that they have to work a lot harder in order to push their music out. Let's look at Sierra Whack in some cases, because she's very versatile as an artist when it comes to rapping over more classic traditional rap beats and then fucking spazzing out on trap beats with like Lil Yachty and shit. You know? she has to go through making movies and

Ahki: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Vance: Acting in order for her to get her music out. She had a song that was on the hymn soundtrack that I think was actually played in the movie, but she also acted in that movie. That was her acting debut in a major film. a lot of artists who put out music with a lot more context and a lot more content, they have to work harder and find different avenues. Look at Vince Staples, even though he's had I wouldn't say commercial hits, but he definitely had like Low-key hits like Magic and the big fish theory was also commercially successful because it had a different sound. He had to go through using other avenues of media in order for him to push his music out and and be able to have the audience present for him to put out albums like Crybaby when he finally went independent. But I think when it comes to artists who Have a deeper meaning. They have to work harder to get their music out and be able to get it to audiences that may have not come across their stuff. Maybe somebody like myself might listen to a lot of trap music, a lot of 3-6, a lot of fucking Project Pat, but then all of a sudden I might watch Atlanta or P Valley and then come across their music. And now I'm a fan. You have to work a lot harder. And I think because of that, when it comes to songs like this that are successful in the summer of the song.

Ahki: Put but I'm putting

Vance: I think it all it puts that conversation into context. Excuse me. Okay.

Ahki: Okay, here's my pushback, right? Here's my pushback. And I and again my my my point is this. This is I'm happy to be we actually talking this. My point is this. I the song itself is not the the issue. The song is not the issue. I the song is this the song is an evolution of Trina. The song is an evolution of Eve. The song is an evolution of like is there's a Poxy Browns e is an evolution of a some evolution of salt and pepper. Like there's an evolution of a tree where you can see why this might exist. and I I think that's fine.

Vance: Right.

Ahki: I do think some people can't be mad at somebody who don't want to hear scammer escort music either though. So I think that's fine for Indy R who is an older woman to be like, hey, this shit is ridiculous. My ish my and but my point to as to why I think she has a very valid argument. a point I think we should discuss is the larger argument, which is why is this the only

Vance: Right.

Ahki: perception of women in the public music general sphere. Radio, major like video and videos are this no more, but like how videos are consumed, those are the videos are mostly up there. Instagram, TikTok, whatever. How videos are consumed, those are the ones that those are the bigger videos, whatever the there's no T V, there's B T one Space Apart, but whatever comes with videos, those are the ones that normally are the best. Same with the music, how it's pumped at the ecosystem, so whatever. My issue is There was a time where that was level playing field where you might hear there was a time where you would hear the Fujiis before Lauren Hill put out her first album, you would hear the Fuji's off of Lauren Hill on the Fuji's records because they were still played in the space. Like you would hear you you had L L Cool J on the radio, but you also had other people on the radio who might not have been as big as L L but still had the same they would get at least radio play. I don't think you're gonna hear Terrack you cut on any radio station. We live in we're we're in a DC market. DC used to play Wale. DC used to play Tabby Bonet. DC used to play who else in DC? I'm kind of thinking on the spot. Fat trail. You might hear Fat Trail do some of the club mixes, like when it's club time. But Golang, you DC used to. Yes. DC used to. I'm glad talking about.

Vance: What go link? Gold Link, Shy Glizzy. It's still they're still doing some cases. They're still doing some cases.

Ahki: DC used to yo. You would yo, they have blocks, but it's not the same. Like on the general rule, during the daytime span, you used to hear DC records throughout the day. Not just on like a GoGo mix. Not just doing like a DC mix. You would hear that bro, I heard that Tabby Bonet song so much. Put me in the po was it put me in the podcast? Yo, I heard that joint so much.

Vance: Put it in the pocket. Yeah. Yeah. We have hey, side note, I don't mean to cut you off. We have some I think we have somebody from Morgan in that video or or in one of the videos associated with with with Tabby Bonnet. But I digress. Wow. I digress.

Ahki: sure I'm sure we did probably had a Morgan Shirt in there. Absolutely so my it my my my my thing is they are other options. You have Samara Sing have Tierra back like you said you have that's I think Mona Leo should be on the radio. I think she's a really great rapper and she makes music and I'm sure she's gonna make a song that Yeah she'll probably make a song that pops over I get that but there are other elements of her that I think is also really good songs. but it's it my whole thing is

Vance: That put me also on his fire.

Ahki: Why is that the only the only way in? And I don't think that I I think that's a fair thing to say because it i if you've been a hip hop long enough, there was there was very there was variation. Bro, you used to have Lady of Rage in the sp in the space. You had yo yo, you had people who were different. You know what I'm saying? And even to your point earlier,

Vance: That's true.

Ahki: my second point which was Knife Wonder was talking about this on I think Twitter yeah yesterday. I don't know you saw it was actually a nice little threads and stuff like that was about happening. He was saying He never really paid at the like growing up, which is true, but I would love that your opinion on this. We they never really paid attention to billboards. Like they didn't care. If a song got popular, they stopped liking it, which is so true. Cause you more concerned about like what's the like the best thing, the new thing, the odd thing, not really like what's the most popular thing. And it got to the point where he was like, When they would play like the popular song, we were all like, Man, why are you playing it? Playing something to playing some fire. And he was like, The source carried more weight. is important. I'm gonna love to hear you think about like does that exist anymore? Like what is the mechanisms to that? Because we kinda lost all of our like media gatekeepers, I guess. Source XXL is a a ghost. You know what I'm saying? Most influencers are paid off or want to get close to somebody else. They don't really give real opinions.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I think I think there's a the it's a it's a whole slew of things that is happening currently in media as to why it doesn't have the same level of authority that it recently you know that it used to have when it comes to albums. You gotta think first things first, we live in a digital age where even though you do have a lot of listens on Spotify, Apple Music, streaming services like that.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: A lot of money doesn't go into music when it comes to the more physical aspects of things. And now we're going to we're getting to a point where a lot of these companies want to own the license for music, games, movies, media, and control everything so that the consumer is only consumers instead of having a force of of agency when it comes to using media. So that's going to change the way that money is being made and then also change the way that like, you know, when it comes to physical media also changes. I do think that we will get to a point where the nostalgia of having physical media is going to really, you know, show. But I think right now, since everything is changing so abruptly, I think now that we're we're now

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: kind of missing some of the small things that physical media has brought to us. So we gotta look at the bigger picture before we even get to how the media is affected. Cause now we're also seeing the media landscape changing and a lot of more you know, a lot of different artists from different genre genres are beginning to actually get shine because the billboard has changed a lot. So now you you you start and then also we haven't included AI. So I just think because of everything changing so much currently at this time, and I I wouldn't say a lot, you know, in a lot of terms for the best, I do think that that is changing specifically black media and also how we cover music. There's so much music that's being released from

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: The smaller artists that, you know, the guy down the street that makes music to the big artists that are changing the air the the industry. I think because there's so much overflow of stuff coming out, it's a lot harder to navigate the scene unless you're doing stuff like on the radar or you're in the news for controversy, kind of like spin that. And it's hard for us to track the new artists because it

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: w if for for a lot of writers, people aren't reading a lot. So now you gotta go to video and you know, because the the the the the short attention spans that we have currently is is kind of breaking how we make media in the new age. Now you got a lot of artists who are you know who have to show up for podcasts, who have to do these things in order to put their face out there and also get their music out there as well.

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: and if luckily if the algorithm helps you out and you start trending from your music, then you get something. I think Tiger is starting to get a little away for the recent track that he dropped. And then there was another artist that was said to have used AI for his song. That sounds like an eighties song, even though he said it wasn't AI. You got so many things that are happening that a lot of media companies are looking at what's happening. instead of who is the next artist to rise from all of this and make that difference. You still have media outlets that do it, but because the money is so scarce in media currently, it makes it a lot harder and you don't have those people who are looking for the next artist with there being so much overflow. so I d I I think it's a it I think it's a case study for

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: how we look at how the economy is truly affecting the music industry specifically. But if we're bringing it down to more of a microcosm of what's happening with our media, I just think that the lack of money, the lack of resources, that we've always had to deal with, but dealing with much more currently, and the the the the lack of discovering new artists and seeing artists develop has made it a lot harder to Find artists if you're a source or an XXL. You know, you're looking for the ones that really pop on social media, but are they really good artists? Are they really developed? Do they really have everything put down when it comes to their story, their sound, and also their professional acumen to actually be in the industry? And a lot of times now, because we might see a new artist have a hit and then disappear just like that. There's so many artists that came out in the SoundCloud era that don't even have a run now. You know, I still listen to Smoke Perk. That sounds crazy in 2026. But at one point, he had a hit he had a fire ass album with Def Star, then he was making music with Juicy J. About two years later, nobody like listened to his music and he was having empty crowds. So it's our landscape is changing.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah. It does sound crazy. I get it.

Vance: And it's just due to the the several factors of the economy and of the current world that's going on that's affecting how we look at music and where we get our artists from and how we look at music being made and and created for us.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah, I also wonder how people use AI to find new ways to get people to listen to music. I'm interested to see how that what that looks like. It might be a software, it might be a hardware. but I'm curious to know what that looks like and how people will use that to like can you you can't make your I don't know, do you make your own streaming service through AI? Who knows? You can I don't know. We'll see, man. It just it it just it's something's gonna change 'cause people still wanna keep making music. I think the issue will be how people gonna how do you get people to listen to it is harder than ever. But listen, what a great way to open this week's episode. go, go, go, go, go.

Vance: Now, wait, wait, wait, what I I was gonna ask you, I wanna ask you a question before we actually get the shelf started. Get the shelf started started. what do you think about the abrupt change when it comes to physical media disappearing? I think when it comes like one thing that I I was talking to Garrett Kennedy when I was doing my thesis. One thing that he told me is that a lot of people think that.

Ahki: Yeah. Oof.

Vance: Buy like listening to music on Spotify is equal to buying an album and buying a physical album for consumption. And also the billboard still includes physical copies when it comes to sales. What do you think about the abrupt change in physical media? I'm seeing that a lot in the gaming world with Grand Theft Auto 6, but you know that that's coming to a physical.

Ahki: They do. Yeah, they do. People do. Yes, that's true. Yeah.

Vance: you know, coming to music soon. I think vinyls is really saving physical media when it comes to music. But you don't see a lot of CDs made. A lot of cars aren't really having C D players anymore. I got a C D player. Fuck that. You know. Yeah. Ma hey man. I every like there was they there used to be a record store down the way, rest in peace, C D D C Depot. I think that's the name of it. But

Ahki: I know. That's crazy. I don't I don't actually miss having one. I mean, I missed that on one, yeah, for real.

Vance: I will always go to that record store and go buy a C D for the car. I've had it in my Ford five hundred to this day.

Ahki: Yeah, I miss it. I really do. Like yeah. I I wanna actually get in a place where I'm gonna start buying CDs and storing and I wanna buy a car with a C D player sometime. I actually miss the sound C D player. what do I think about it? I think it's one I think it fucking sucks. and but I I I think we can talk about we can unravel to a bunch of other stuff. Probably keep it to this. I I I think people It's it's hard to beat convenience. It's more convenient to say, Here, you got it. It's right you own it right now. You don't need to go to the store. You don't need to wait or two weeks. You don't need to anything. You just press a button and we take the money from your account and the music is there. I think it's really hard to beat that. I think you're the the the person he was talking about, I agree a hundred percent. People think streaming a album counts the same. It's playing it's paying for an album. I also think labels need to figure out a way they won't do it to get more money from streaming services. I think that's all fucking crazy. That is why I said I wonder what artists will do with AI about lit like changing the s the thing. I I don't mean like I hate the fact that musicians are using AI to make music, but not using AI to find better ways to distribute their own music. like can you Can you make a hardware that is like a a keepsake and the music exists within this thing and it's AI and it connects to something else? Like, can you make that right and a person buys like you buy Larry June's a orange merch thing, is like something you put on your table, but also connects to your speaker, you can play the music through there. Can is is that the AI space will take us next? I think that's what artists should start considering. 'cause I think people if people can get to get your music that way, where it's like a keepsake and like a peop I think people want things. but the thing about a C D player is you gotta buy the C D player and bada da da da. If musicians can find other ways of buying, like replacing it, I think that'll be a great idea for them. I think businesses, corporations are trying to find ways to cut their overhead and find means and ways to like save money through the day getting rid of this because it's easiest to give you that. You don't want to manufacture this. and I I think people need to start saying fuck these places and stick by not buying this if you want it. because I saw somewhere I don't know if it was Amazon or some streaming services so somebody had bought some movies. Like bought them, not rent them through some platform and the platform said we're taking it down. Even though you paid for it may not give you money back. It's fucking that is crazy. Crazy. That is crazy. And he was like, hey, I I own this. Like I'm and they was no the fuck you don't. It's still on my platform. so yeah, man, I I think I think it's tough. I think it's really tough. I think we really I think the artists that are smart and use AI to their benefit for like how to get music out, whether that's a software, like a stream, like your own sh imagine if you tell an artist, sign up for my app. And you get your email and then you can listen to my music through this app. You get it a week, you can hear it two weeks in advance, plus it'll have songs that might not be on the album, plus something else, and then once you do that, it's a tie to like, okay, now you can buy this merch, you can buy whatever is tied to my brand or the theme and I like think like a tolerative creator type thing. And you can buy this a week in advance, two weeks in advance. Boom, boom, boom. They might make the money they were made from streaming.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: in totality just off doing that before they even put it on streaming for the masses. If you build it up that way and using AI, 'cause you you don't need to be a big artist to do that. You just you can you can use AI to build the the the Shopify and then build the merch and then you gotta figure out the technology component. But my whole thing is like that if if if artists do that, I think they can still maintain the the thing that fans want, which is like a something to hold that connected to those artists. but labels are gonna find every way to save a penny 'cause that's who they fuck they are. And they're awful and they they don't like innovation and you don't care about fans. so I hope like I hope artists see their value in it. Hope they don't just go with this shit 'cause it'll be really awful. but it sucks, man. It's I saw you a C D the other day. I was in my I was going through stuff in the basement 'cause I don't have a C D player. So I was going through shit and I don't have a D V D player. I don't have none of that shit. It's I was duck. So I'm gonna get it. I know. He got the one. I got we bought him the one that don't need the disc.

Vance: You ain't got a hold on you ain't got a don't you you got a game, console? shit. no. I I understand why. But fuck.

Ahki: Yeah, we be we yeah, we won one. Not even thinking. It was Christmas. You s there the sale was the sale was there. I think there was harder find maybe. So you'd be like, that should get this one. Not even thinking, you know what I mean? Because you sold is not in my car, not in my wife car. My my last car my last car didn't have didn't have the my my my sedan did the sedan have no, my husband didn't put sedan in those.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: So my last two three my two cards, the wife card, no C D player, bro. So I that's why I got so many vinyls. I love vinyls because I get to play and get to feel it. But no, no, no C D player. Dog is crazy. I d and I and I see what they're doing, and you know, it sucks, bro. But I I thought about you because I saw your CD the other day, and I'm like, shit, off the dribble, the you had the Yokohama jacket on, the one with the Yokohama jacket on.

Vance: Mm. Rest in peace. Yeah. Yeah. I I think the cool Wait, which one? Oooooh my gosh, that was a good one.

Ahki: Yeah. I d I saw that one other day. And I was like, damn. I can't even play the damn thing. Yeah. I but yeah. Yeah. But yeah, man, I I I I feel man. I really hope that like it's it's it's happening across all platforms. Just the the I think they they underestimate the amount of people who actually appreciate the stuff. can collect the stuff and it means something to them.

Vance: Put it on shelf though.

Ahki: But it's out the the I hope artists completely understand that. And the paying your percentage and restore my idea. This is documented whenever it's released. you know, just y you can give me a point zero zero what, whatever. But yeah, I I think this and I think that's the next phase, man. some somebody has to figure out how to use it to disrupt the distribution. but he music has always done that, yo. Mixtapes, lime wire, bootlegs, Artists can't get out of contract, you know, you just find other ways to do it. So this it's I'm hoping people understand it. Hope people don't get too duped by it, but yeah, man, that's the only way.

Vance: Yeah, it's the only way. I think the cool thing is now that you're starting to see like more retro technology be created to actually use older media. So I know that they've recently made kind of like a Bluetooth speaker for CD players, which is cool. And you could you know, you know, you could you got tech like that that you might just have around your house where you could just pop in the CD. you know, from your collection and just play aloud. But it you you are starting to see a lot more technology for on the small scale be built in order to use physical media again. So I do think eventually we might get back to a point where it's nostalgic. I just think that right now is not really that point, which sucks because now they're just like you don't need media, you don't need physical media at all. Let's cut this cost, like you said.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the root of it.

Vance: So I digress. Since we were talking about that, it yeah, yeah. Root of all evil. Yes.

Ahki: Yeah, that's the root of it. Labels, man, the li the labels, bro, they you know what I mean? They just wanna not just the labels, but the businesses. They just wanna wherever they can cut a cost, they're gonna cut a cause. And fans, fans don't do nothing about it. I mean, that is what it is. But I I think it's up to the artists. I think if someone like Taylor Swift comes out the gate with it or Beyonce come out the gate with it, people will I think Kanye would have done it.

Vance: Right. Right? Right.

Ahki: If he wasn't

Vance: Stupid. sorry. In that w in that world.

Ahki: like know that too but he's he's also he's also blackballed rightfully so he's also blackballed rightfully so he's blackball right now so you know Kanye was my god I don't even want to get his dude fucking props fuck that anyway welcome to the record report another episode another week

Vance: Rightfully so. Yeah.

Ahki: We're gonna find a great way to chop that up, man. I I think it's probably a great way to open the episode every week and just like a great conversation and you can just, you know, kick it off from there. But as always, it's a my

Vance: And this is your boy Vanceby. How y'all doing? Y'all doing good?

Ahki: Let's hope so. and this week we don't have a album. I mean we had a good album drops, we had a couple of B sides. We had a really fun album coming up too. I'm excited about the next album Advanced Fix. but this week we're we're we're do we're doing on something advanced. We had a I had an idea, we was talking. I think we've done this before. We did this like the end of the year when I was like, Hey man, we should do like a middle point of year 'cause I'm gonna fucking forget

Vance: Yeah, I hope so, yeah. Yes, sir. Yeah.

Ahki: what I liked and then I can come back to this and be like, Well should I did like that? I did like that. So this is just gonna be a just a fun episode where we get just talk about what albums that came out this year that we liked. yeah man, this is this is fun going back and looking thinking about all of the albums I played. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fun. Yeah. Did did you did you wanna kick off first? What you think?

Vance: Yep. Yep. Yeah. I I Yeah, I could definitely kick it off. You know what I'm saying? I might as well just go ahead and first of all say that I I think this year has been kind of an interesting year for me because while I may have been listening to a lot of new albums, I've also been just getting into maybe some of the songs that came out in the early twenty you know twenty twenties that I might have skipped over or, you know, may have stumbled across recently.

Ahki: Ooh, like what? Like what?

Vance: So definitely my gosh, I was talking about him recently. but there's a there's a dude on Spotify that I've been listening to who has a lot of southern music, similar to Mexico Dro, but it's a little bit more refined than Mexico Dro. I don't have his name right now because I think it's like duck something, Duck Range or something. I digress.

Ahki: Duck range.

Vance: There's there's a lot of artists. Nah, nah, nah, nah, don't don't worry about the name. I can't really come to mind off the bat specifically, but I because I listen to Spotify Discover Weekly so much, occasionally they'll throw songs from like 2022, 2023 that might have came out and I completely forget. Yeah. So like I think that's been really making me

Ahki: Yeah. Maybe all over the place yeah. Mm-hmm.

Vance: You know, go back to certain artists that might have had kind of a a mini run at that time with their music or just songs that makes me say, man, I might need to invest into that. Actually, I can give you an artist. Mavi, he did something with Overcast that just showed up on my Spotify recently. And now I'm starting to listen to a lot of Mavi again. Like I was fucking with the song that he made with Earl Sweatshirt as well. So I do

Ahki: yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's my two.

Vance: Yeah, I do think that there are really good artists to come out with albums. And when I was looking through the list for the albums to come out just in rap, I was like, shit, there was so many that I didn't really know about. So I do think that it was a lot tougher for me to find new music that, you know, came out, because there's such an overflow of music to come out. However, I did manage to find a good six to throw out there that you know, that I was really digging. So I yeah. Yeah. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I'll probably just throw I guess like the last few as like, you know, mentions. But I guess the first one that's really been hitting my dome has been the Save Freelou EP. my God. It's sh

Ahki: Whoa, six man, we we I we're gonna be here all night. I went too damn one. I went too damn far. Yeah. Yeah, you put me on a yellow. I like that.

Vance: First of all, I didn't necessarily know that I've been listening to this man since twenty seventeen. Cause he made this song called Quick Trip that was dope. And I was like, Man, this is a fire ass song. I made it in a I I've added it to a mix all the way back in twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen. So when I found that out while listening to this new EP, I was like, yo, I've been a fan of this dude for a while since he was actually like really out here in these streets. So when he dropped the prelude EP, it starts out with a J Jermaine Dupree cosign and he kills the first beat and then the second one is caskets. I've never seen a one two punch like that in a while from an artist when it comes to an album. It's very similar to how Project Pat started his album. was the album that it w it wasn't crooked by the butt, was it? That was the album that we did a while ago, like back in twenty twenty. It was the one with him robbing somebody on a security camera. I think I think that's crooked by the buck. or or I don't know. I might have said the title wrong. But I digress. Because his first two songs off the top of the rope are really good, I would definitely say that it makes the album a lot more consumable. Now I'm not saying that that means that the other songs are like bad or mid. The other songs actually fire. He actually has a storytelling element of six minutes. And then he also sampled Ashanti that has really been hitting my dome lately because I'm a huge Ashanti. Like I love Ashanti's music. So there are other aspects of this album that are great, but for somebody that is still making a run musically, and a lot of people don't really know about like that. I I really feel like people should at least give this EP a run. Cause there's a song. on the project that might fit any by any rap lover specifically. and any rap lover who's a fan of Southern Rap as well. So yeah, yeah. I would probably throw out Swahili, the Prelude EP as my first choice.

Ahki: A lot of those Atlanta it's some it's a it's a good core of Atlanta guys who actually can make really great music. Like and they can rap. Like they like they they they can rap. They have a understanding of melodies, like for example, the song you talking about with the Ashanti joint, you might think that's like a a girl song like this that songs are some like really cool some really good imp storytelling, not storytelling but like real life raps.

Vance: Right? Yeah.

Ahki: and it was a great hook on there too. So yeah, him, like Marco Plus, Jid, couple other people that I like I think can't name can't come to right now, but like those guys make really great like cerebral raps, man, that's like really great music. And it can make a different they can they can also make the Atlanta music that we know and love too. So yeah, great pick, man. That sway album is actually really good. You put me on to that one. I'm I'm I'm not gonna go too far back. I'm gonna keep it kind of recent, man. Tiara Whack album is is is amazing. Like that might be on my end of the year's favorite albums. Her ability to it's just it's really intelligent rap. And it's like the the the rabbity rap stuff people be like making fun of, but she does it in such a cool, clever way. Where it's it's a couple can't remember the there's a bar in there and it's like a Philly slang. But she used it in a way where it's like it has double meaning. So but if you know Philly slang, you get it, but if you don't, I send me something else. Sh it's is I think stuff like that is just so impressive. I think the wax the wax paper with the conductor beat on there. is like menacing. It feels like if there was like a New York mix show, like it used to be, they play like rap music, like mix shows, they would like a mix you would play like Prodigy or like some Mild Deep or or something like that. Like you would put that in that same feel for like mix. it sounds amazing. like just like the the that's how it sounds. Like the beats and how she just rise and then like the tone she uses. but it's also like it's so it's like she has tongue in cheek humor, like missy, like ludicrous. so she says I'm so what do you mean? Ellen de I'm so mean, Ellen de Generis. I thought it was so funny, like it was like Ellen de General said she was mean. it's it's funny, man. It's great totem is crazy. gutta gotta in her her wordplay is so clever that when she names songs to the songs it can have a double meaning even in the song so totem is like also like a totem. it just it just I just like stuff like that, man. It just it's it's disgusting reps. not a disgusting but like just the word play, the cleverness. And it it makes you it it gets a great move to it, great experience. I think she's an amazing artist, and I look forward to hearing what she also does after this. If this is like her first official album, I'm glad this is the way that she went. she I'm glad this is the way that she went. Is I'm just keeping real artsy. But sticks to sticks, you're gonna love it, you're not gonna love it, but it's gonna be fire no matter what you come and rock with. So yeah, I gotta start with TR Wackman. That's why we've been playing non-stop.

Vance: I have not dived into that project, but I definitely have to. Because yo, I yeah, yeah. Like I've always been a fan of Sierra Wacker, I've always been a fan of her versatility specifically. So to see that she dropped another album, I'm excited. And I I I'm just I'm just more excited to see her grow as an artist because Aside of her just dropping really good music, she always adds another aesthetic or another layer to the project that she's doing. whether it's visual or even for just maybe a single that she's doing for a movie, she has visuals that match it. So I would definitely I'm I'm I'm definitely excited to actually listen to her project map wax museum. I haven't listened to it yet, but It's good to hear that, you know, she, you know, pulled no punches and she's being completely her, which is what makes her s a star in some cases.

Ahki: She's a star, man. She really is a star. I I I think she like she's a star, man. I don't know if she'll ever make a a commercially loved hit. maybe be attached to something else and it just go off to the moon. But she makes amazing music. Right? Like truthfully like amazing music. And now she's in movies and she also like an art artist. Like she's into the art world too and fashion and everything. So she's gonna break through and it's gonna be like a star forever. but I hope she does not s I hope like I hope that the music is attached to whatever the other art is. So for example, Pharrell Say what you want about him, but he still makes music and isn't s inspired or connected to whatever he's doing outside of that. So if he's the bond designer shoes or like it's the Lego movie, or like I'm doing Louis Vuitton, but also I'm making a clips album while I'm doing a Louis Vuitton shit and it's all in the same space and it's like da da da da the new shit. He's making music. So I I I love that the music it might not sound the best, but it's just creatively you expect you you you love that the artist is still connected to the music piece. And I hope that Tierra's one of those people that still connects to it. Because I think she's gonna make amazing like like truly phenomenal music she's gonna make. Because she is she her wordplay is so like subversive where you you it's catchy and you under like look when you get a chance, listen to siren. And listen to how the beat is like piano. It's more like chill. And she underst like if she she also did like a Apple music talk about which was really cool and she was like, the the host or the future or I can't remember who it was, somebody who she knows, and she was like, Why'd you sing on the hook? And she was like, I was rapping so much in the verse, I needed something to change up the pace, and then if you listen to it, it flows in a way where you don't even know the hook is gonna come and it's perfectly placed. It's it's just that kind of song, thoughtfulness and creativity. it's just I don't know man. For somebody who's like, I think it's our is again this is our first real album she said, so that's I'm gonna take her on. That's impressive just to be aware of stuff like that and how that functions and good songs and storytelling and then added to like the lyrical ability. telling you. Great album, man. Great, great, great album.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. She's always had this too, ever since she made Whack World. It just seems like she just keeps getting better. It's it's crazy. It she just keeps getting better at the direction, the art behind it, the idea of like the even the album covers, they just get better. And yeah, I do think that eventually she's going to get her the shine and the flowers that she deserved. But, you know, of course it it is gonna take time. So I understand that and I'm patient.

Ahki: Yep, yeah.

Vance: also like she really f like she's very up I don't know if it is just for me, but she's very up close with her fans. And I I I think that's one thing that I appreciate more and makes me want to root for her more. Like she's more you could tell that this you're talking to her on Instagram. So that's crazy. That might just be me. And because I'm a music journalist, sort of. But yo, that is yeah, that was the thing that was like, all right, I'm running with you, dog. Like you you the real one out here and you approaching your fans like that, there's a reason why Serena Williams listens to your music. So Yeah, good choice. Good choice for sure. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. My next one is going to be ASAT Rockies Don't Be Dumb. yeah. I am kicking myself for not being able to go to the concert this Saturday or this weekend. That he's performing at Yeah. He's performing in New Jersey. No New Jersey. Yeah. He's I think he's

Ahki: S by. S five. What you got? Yes, that's one of mine too. I'm glad you man. Where is it, 930? Where's he at? that's tough. That's tough.

Vance: I he's not performing at n you know the the giant stadium, but I think it is like a I think it's a concert hall or not not a concert hall, but you know, a big ass venue. Yeah, an arena. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I he is performing somewhere around the area. So I did want to go to that perfor you know, to that performance, but you know, the price of tickets as well as the drive up there, as well as the the plan to stay.

Ahki: An arena, an arena, an arena, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Vance: Somewhere it's a lot of money. Ain't got ain't got that much to spend out here.

Ahki: He's not he's not he's not going to whatchamacallit, like New York?

Vance: I think that's where he's do that's why he's doing it in New Jersey. But it's at like a actual venue so or actual arena. So I think that he's trying to get both the New York crowd and the New Jersey crowd together, like the whole tri-state area together for that event. Because he after that he's going to other places across the country and then he's going overseas to perform. Which I know is gonna be dope as hell, but yeah, I wanna be able to see him before he goes overseas. So I wanna find a way to make that work. But specifically for Don't Be Dumb, this is one of my favorite albums of the year. it was really cool to see ASAT Rocky find a way to bring a younger version of him to the modern space. That was his goal before the album dropped, and he definitely did that. You do see a side of him that shows the more edgier aspects of who he was in the past, from when he was just a young, a young jit just making, I shouldn't have said that, but a young artist who made peso and and and purple swag and songs like that, all the way up to the point where his friend died and he's making an album dedicated to him. Rest in peace, yams. I do think that you saw those elements from that era of ASAT Rocky and that be thrown into the modern world. Instead of him just talking about the normal things that he talks about, I think the extra layer is the level of maturity he's made through those years while still pulling off this character that he's created. And I think Don't Be Dumb mashes both the character with the With who he is currently and brings that both together as if he was a WWE wrestler. So I I this this album was dope not only because of that, but then you got a lot of the modern artists like Brett Fayez, like Sauce Walker, hopping on different tracks and adding that modern element. I just thought that it was a really good return for ASAT Rocky that shows that he might have Took a break from making music, but he's one of the originators of the sound that is currently running the game, whether it's through a man or a woman. And I think that he was one of the precursors to the artists that we have now, even though that has changed over the years. but we immediately saw the wave that he created when it came to the SoundCloud era. And I think when it comes to specifically this album, he kind of lets people know that he is one of those OGs in the game. And he knows how to truly show that. so I I really thought that this was a dope ass album. And then musically, conceptually, it was really good. the production was fire. It was very diverse. And I also like the fact that he had different audio cuts or or audio clips. To help send the message of a song to you, aside from the songs being made. So there was a lot of thought that was provided in this process. And I think in in my opinion, it's a work of art. just due to the combination of everything and the replayability that it does have. I think f when I first listened to it, it was already fire, but just coming back to it throughout, you know, this year alone. has been a joy because I know what to go to, but I'm still discovering new songs off of the project or new parts of songs off of the projects every single day. So yeah, man. This is definitely a second project off of my best of the year so far list.

Ahki: This was one of mine too. and I'm I'm I'm actually I think it's cool we both got it on our list so far. I lo I love this album for so many like a lot of reasons why you named it is why I also liked it. I think that one thing we talked about early in the season was like and I would love us to make like a rubric. I think we should make like a a rubric of like how we rate albums and stuff like that and based on that do we want to make some some consistency.

Vance: Hell yeah.

Ahki: One of the things I look for like in an artist album, especially an artist like ASAP Rocky who this is his what year is it? What year did he come out? This is fifteen years. Is this twenty years ASAP Rocky? No, it No, no, no, no. Fifteen. Fifteen. Fifth about twenty ten? Twenty eleven? About fifth like fi he's a fifteen like I don't know if anyone when they first heard Peso that do have a fifteen year artist.

Vance: Yeah. about six no it's fifteen. Fifteen. Yeah. Purple swite came out twin twenty eleven. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: And you think of the art other artists around that time frame, the Kendrick's the Coles and Drake's. I mean, people can say what they want about ASAP Rocky, but his last album testing was his highest selling album he's ever put out. And one of the some of his biggest hits. So I I I I think that he carries a weight that he does the other stuff and he's married to Rihanna and he had the core stuff. But like musically, I I think is im it's really impressive that he there are songs on here

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: That he was not even able to make on previous albums. He did he execute it to perfection? No. But it's like, I'm happy you did that. I'm happy you tried that. Like, I appreciate the creativity. Robbery, in my opinion, is like the the next level of me and my girlfriend. of all the iterations we've had over Tupac and Jay-Z and whatever else has done it. It is another iteration that where me and my girl were going to the club.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: I mean he doesn't maybe it doesn't have like a separate we're going to like this little jazz club and together we're going verse for verse and we're robbing we're robbing we're we're robbing the sticking and joint up. I thought it was really creative to put that in a song element and make it like feel like a movie, like a scene. I thought it was cool, man. I I love how Playa the song Playa it feels like an ASAP Rocky song. It f it is reminiscent of an ASAP Rocky song.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: it might be a song if you're an ASAP Rocky fan, you're gonna love it. But the whole album doesn't sound like ASAP Rocky like testing. It doesn't sound like Peso. It is like there's an evolution in Rocky sound that I really appreciate. And I'm happy he tried this stuff. I love that there's there's things on here songs on here that he wouldn't have even tried to make before, like what's another song besides robbery and player? I can't think of right now, but damn, some other song I can't think of. wow, I'm happy he tried it.

Vance: Helicopter, helicopter, I love it. my god, it's gonna get on my nerves. 'Cause I know about hold on, I'm looking punk Rocky. Yeah.

Ahki: No, that's guess the the the punk song. Punk Rocky, that's what the song. The that's what it's called it's called punk rocky. Yeah. I I I think that's 'cause I remember I saw him do that on S N L. I was like, shit, this is like a a a two thousand punk song. I think it's cool that he tried his hand at making I think that's like I think you at at this age, at this part in your career It can't be I'ma double down on everything. You know it has to be I'm gonna push I'm gonna push the creative bounds you put on me to keep trying to find me some ways to push whatever I can make. And that's what I want and that's what he does. that's the deal with that's the deal this album. So even the sauce waka song is hilarious and it's great and it's hilarious. even knowing even even knowing their history and that they they cleared it up and knowing that they had issues.

Vance: Yeah, I like that. I like that shit.

Ahki: And him and Sauce wasn't on the best of terms and over time they got him featured on it. I think that was really cool. I do I also think it's cool that he's still giving love to Southern artists. He got so much flack for that. For the longest time. And southernness and that he still got boss man D'Lo on here, got Sauce Waka on here. I think that is I think that is I I think that he is I'm I'm happy that he still is like I like what I like. and it wasn't a fad. I wasn't just liking y'all 'cause it was convenient. I really fuck with

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yep.

Ahki: people in his spaces. the sound, the people, the culture, whatever the case may be. I that doesn't wanna we need Rocky. We need Rocky. Rocky is important. I do hope that he can come with a New York anthem though. I think a New York anthem is needed within the next two to three years. We need once in a long time. I'm surprised we didn't get one out of this. but yeah, I think he needs a New York record. I think we really need one. bad badly to be quite honest. The game needs that. but great pick.

Vance: The sound. Yeah. Mm. Yeah.

Ahki: Great pick. Great pick. I'ma go with Black. Love is a New Gangster. I don't know if you heard this. It six slacks, black. Man, it's it's black. I know, I know, I know, but he spelled it that way. Yeah, I know I'm getting older and I I have responsibilities and I got a family, it's like a whole big stick that I have and people talking about you or your dad shit like that. and a lot of times the music is fathers is like

Vance: Mmm. I have not heard it. But it's black. It's black.

Ahki: You you hear some of the shit. But it it I I love this album because you can tell he's like expanding on like his ex the his family, his kids, responsibilities, life. And it's he he touched on some really amazing things and it sounds great. the song All That Matters is like him and Leon Thomas singing together with Chike from LA with a with a pretty good verse on here. I love the sound. It makes me feel like a Rap song we haven't heard in a while. I'm actually happy someone actually tried to make that. I think we need those songs. They play a quick a good part on it. Wife, Baby Mama is a great song. I love that song. he has a pretty he's a is a a wonderful song with like with with with two chains. It's all across the board. Like Running Late with Mariva is great. Vision is wonderful. I got it's it's just a great the album flows really well. I love the what he's talking about. I think that this music, music like this from artists like this, I think again is risk taken. there is no overwhelmingly popularity song that might trend on social media or whatever. So when you be in that space you really gotta make music that you feel is gonna connect the people. And I think that that's what he's done. he has to be Cerebral has to be realistic, and it has to sound in a way that people understand and can connect to. And I think the melodies, I think he's actually a better singer than he was with his first album when he first came out, which is a which is a good thing. You want people you want R and B artists to get stronger at that. I think he's a rapper, R and B albums. He sings and he raps. I'm sure how you but how to describe himself.

Vance: It's a little bit of both. It's a little bit of both for sure. Yeah.

Ahki: Little bit of both. Yeah, a little bit of both. Yeah, yeah. And I even think it's pin game. If I think it's pin game got a little bit stronger got got stronger too. there are some it's nothing it's no double entendres, but you know, I think it's it's some clever lines in there that it just adds it just adds to the album's like soundscape. So yeah, I recommend it if you have not heard it, Love is a New Gangster by by Black.

Vance: Yeah, I need to I need to check that one out. I saw the commercial or the ad that he did of him I guess reconnecting with the bear that he took a photo with for his first album. Which was pretty cool 'cause it was yeah, it was a ten year anniversary of his first album, which is pretty dope. He he brings everything in the full circle. Yeah, yeah. And I also remember like I've all I've never been a huge fan of Black. I think

Ahki: Ha ha I did not know that. wow. Been that long.

Vance: My ex calling was like one of my favorite songs from him, but that was from his first album. When he started making more music, I think I kinda like lost my connection with him. But I've always known that he's again been versatile to a point where he could he can actually rap and flow. He has a history of being a battle rapper before he was actually rapping, and then moving into making more love songs and more R and B esque kind of rap songs. So I knew that there was always something there with Black but I I I missed out on the run that he did have and I do wanna give this one a a listen because I do know that he's making the attempt to kind of bring everything in the full circle. So I I that is a journey that I definitely wanna take. So I need to write that one. I need to write that one down because I'd be bullshitting on that one for sure. So yeah, but good choice though, because yeah, Black is an artist that again, like a like I said before, has had to work a lot harder to put his music out. you know, because it wasn't always super flashy. He will always find a way to find his own pocket and be able to build off of that with his previous projects. So yeah, it's for you to throw that into the best of this year so far, says a lot because, you know, he's always been a guy that was in the shadows. And yeah, man, he deserved to get, you know, a lot more love for being one of those premier artists within the Atlanta scene.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah, and I'm actually happy that he still takes up space. I I think this is actually a really solid album from him. and I don't know his his like his his label situation. But I know once you have that big hit, it's really hard to follow up with that with another record that big. but I I don't I don't think there's like a massive hit on here. So I don't know if that's like a good thing or a bad thing or what his approach was. But I think it's a strong it's like it's a strong it's it is it is a it is a str it's a really strong album, you know.

Vance: Yeah. I wouldn't care, honestly.

Ahki: I w I'm I I don't know what like how many people have heard it or success. I don't really don't I don't really care for that shit. I really do. I don't really don't know. But I think if if you're just out here looking for like great albums to listen to, I think this should definitely be one of those ones you're checking out for sure. absolutely.

Vance: Okay, okay. Great choice. Baby King. Casino. Yeah. yeah. I had to throw it in there. Ain't no way I was gonna go through this entire list without mentioning Baby King. his album was so good and I continue to listen to it. It's continuously in my rotation, whether I'm at whether I'm at the gym, whether I'm just, you know, driving around, kinda finding out what to do for the evening.

Ahki: Yeah, what you got? What you got?

Vance: It's it's such a good album and I think going to the concert added that la that extra layer for me to say that this might be one of the best albums of the year. Easily. the the the the music itself has a very wide range of variety. you get you definitely get the trap songs that made him big, but then you get songs like Good Flirts, that kind of bring that that that that aggressiveness to a a bit of softness with something a little bit more with something a little bit more wavy and rhythmic but not as crazy. and then also that song is making the the the other singer I think her name is Mumbo Boy. I I might be wrong. I might be wrong. I'm actually looking that up now. It's Mumbo

Ahki: Yeah, yeah, Momo no you're right. She's a part of a a brother. You're right, it's Momo Bird. It's that's

Vance: Momo Boyd. Yeah, I was right. Yeah.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Getting names right. So yeah, Momo Boyd is becoming a star. She's starting to get her own rise. but this song was the first one. And then like he just he found a way to bring together a concept that tells his story. And tells it in the rawest way. And also write a letter write a letter to his mom. which was definitely heartbreaking and and heart wrenching when I saw it during the concert. it was sim it felt similar to what the clips did during their performance last year, you know, for their parents, which was beautiful. So I yeah, man, like I think the concert just kind of solidified that this album might be the best of the year. But the album alone by itself my god, it's so fucking good. It's so fucking good. Casino Casino Freestyle. Circus Circus Freestyle. Let me say that correctly. Circuit Circus Freestyle is probably my favorite track off of the project. But you can't go wrong with the track with Kendrick Lamar shit. the intro. Yeah, no, not good flirt. There's another it's another song with Kendrick Lamar. Walking in the party, I don't feel nobody. Yeah.

Ahki: Good flirt. Good flirt. yeah, yeah, for the body. Yeah.

Vance: What the fuck? Power it up. Yeah. my god, I forgot the name of

Ahki: He not featured his his name not on the joint power up. Yeah, that's I guess that's a great song. I like I like I have actually I I w I need to go back and listen to the couple more times. I listened to it when it first came out and I think it was and I came back to it again. I I love the the the main song Casino. That's my joint. And I'm also curious to see if he's gonna take the the pop route. Not the pop I don't want to say that. But the song he performed for at the B E T awards, I was like, he picked this song. That was interesting that 'cause I th no, it no, not the d the song before then. It was I think it's Dramatic Girl. I'm pretty sure that was Dramatic Girl. He was she was like singing. And I was like, I wonder if this is gonna be the follow up single. I really think that could have I really always felt like that could have been a bigger song when I first heard the album. I felt like that would be the w I felt like that was gonna be like the the big single. I felt like the

Vance: Good flirt.

Ahki: The Kendrick one was a good like reintroduction, like like leveraging Kendrick and like introducing somebody else as well. And Momo also is like she's popular in her own right. Not as big but she is. I think she's a great singer, solid singer. Her her whole family's really talented. But I thought this is I thought Dramatic Girl was gonna be bigger. And I'm so and when they performed at the B. C. Awards, I was like, huh, I wonder if a video's coming next. I really felt like that was a missed opportunity. That's one of the songs that I really did enjoy. I don't know if I enjoyed it, but I liked it in the sense of like I'd see this being a bigger song. McKendrick's song is called No Security. Yeah, but I I love Casino. I love the energy on Casino. I love the rapping. I I think Keen is a star. and I think he's I think he's I think he's gonna be one of the ones who figure it out. I think he needs like a eventually like a record that does really, really well at some point.

Vance: Yeah you go. Easily.

Ahki: but I don't know. Does that even matter anymore? Who knows? But I think at some point it will. But right now, I think he's making really some really great music. he need he does not sound happy, he does not sound like Kendrick. He he's like a complete different you can see the creative influence and like the intentionality that he takes into his works, but he does not sound like Kendrick. Kendrick has to come into his world whenever you do songs again.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: And I and I and I think that's I think that's really cool.

Vance: Yeah. He he's I think that's why I like him. He manages to look into the more bizarre side of things, specifically of the hood of, you know, I wouldn't say the hood, but like he takes a more bizarre aspect of his life, I should say. that a lot of people try to refrain from as artists. And he manages to really find that lane for him. the first album kind of showed it.

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: Or his first mixtape kind of showed it. But I think Dafo My Bitch was the one that really showed who he was. at the rawest form, to be exact. Cause I think this is a little bit more refined. But in the raw Rawest form, Dafo My Bitch was just funny fun ass music that you could just blast in your car and drive around in. This one's a little bit more thought out, a little bit more technical, but still has the bizarrness from those previous albums. So yeah, man. Yeah. You you are right. I think he is also gonna be a star easily. if his trajections if his trajectory continues correctly. Yeah. What's your ch what's your next choice? This is fun. Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. think it was two years ago. I don't know. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I agree. I I always felt like he had that aspect of blues in his music. And I think that this album with the vulnerability that's here is a album similar to that. same shit is definitely a song that I throw in at the gym all the time. But just to hear other songs like Boy in Red, and Happy Hour, it just made me appreciate how vulnerable he's being with this album. compared to House is Burning, it's a lot more smoother than that. And I guess that's the point. He's trying to be vulnerable in this project compared to The House is Burning or even some of his older albums where he was just trying to relate to the audience by be just being himself. So I think that this album was The album that he needed to make to actually say something f up for himself and talk about his development as an artist. Cause it's always been in the news that he was struggling with moving f away from his hometown and now learning how to be an artist and a a successful one at that under one of the biggest record labels in rap. But on top of that, You gotta deal with a drug addiction. You gotta deal with being out it. You gotta deal with being vulnerable to the public outside of just figuring out this entire journey. And I feel like this album was kind of showing you that journey in its in its more pure form. My bad. Also, I was gonna say that was my sec that was my next choice. that was on my list as well. I Zer Shad's album, actually. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Back and forth, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it makes sense. It makes sense. Yeah, it makes sense. We fought with the a lot of the same shit, but I also like the fact that we go out and look for different things, you know what I'm saying? Like I could like songs like Nico's Ashes to Ashes and then you could like Futures Pluto era. You know what I'm saying? We just you just you just we got our differences that come together. You know what I'm saying? Like motherfucking Voltron. my I guess I'm gonna throw out Vince Staples Crybaby. I know it I know it's still recent. well damn. I guess we're gonna talk about it now. I got one more in the chamber, so yeah, yeah. But we can talk about Crybaby. I think Crybaby was a really good album. I love the fact that Vince Staples said, Fuck this shit, I'm doing my own thing and literally did his own fucking thing with the sound. I like the fact that he sang something. I know a lot of people will easily say there's no music out there where artists are saying something, and you clearly got an artist that's right here actually saying something. On top of that, this nigga been saying shit for fucking years. And now people are now paying attention because he's dropping this album. he said something, he was saying shit with his TV show. He was saying shit in his previous music, whether it was fucking EDM beats or goddamn California beats added to it. He's just always been a very intelligent artist. And I feel like niggas don't give him the respect that he so fucking rightfully deserves. Makes me mad because it's like you got somebody that's clearly talented and clearly giving you something different. That's so fucking thrown off, but still who he is as an artist. And I I really feel like this album was kind of a fuck you to all of all of the superficial aspects of what people thought of Vince Staples as well as the fuck you to the the establishment and in and the fucking imperialism you know what I'm saying so I I do feel like yeah I know I all right don't don't have me sitting at the motherfucking you know hey you feel me car hey so I'm just saying you know what I'm saying like I love the fact that this album is militant. I love the fact that this album also takes me back to the NERD days in some cases with the sound. I love I always love the fact that this nigga has been versatile when it comes to what he raps over and what he talks, you know, how he makes music. sometimes it might be like, all right, dog, you're doing a lot right now. Other times I'm like, I'm sold. This is going on my playlist. He's always been a great artist. And I feel like niggas don't give him the respect because he just doesn't do what people think or what the average American thinks about rap. And I just I just thought that this album was a great form of revolution and resistance from Vince Staples. And the fact that he's going on tour, he's he's dropped this album, he's doing shit more independent now. It just the the fucking sky is up for him. You know what I'm saying? The shit is up for him. And it might not be this the album of the summer or the song of the summer, but he definitely has a project that shows what he can really do if he has his own freedom, finally. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Mm. I'm following right now. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I saw clips of it, yeah. Yeah. Not anymore, no. Yeah, yep. Yeah. Yeah. Somebody gonna listen to it. I think that's the thing now. We're starting to get to a point where we're starting to see the artists that we grew up in, you know, saw as superstars, international superstars, get into a point where like they like you said before, they don't have to drop new projects. They could just easily tour. But I also think with older artists like, you know, Griselda. Creating music at an older age, even though they're a little bit newer to the scene, I do think that they also found a way to allow artists like Jill Scott, like like who's another older like juvenile, like these older artists, like LL Cool J or Will Smith to f come back and actually drop some music because they feel like, you know, age don't really matter in that case. You know, when it comes to making a good project. And so In some ways, you know, it could be good, really good, you know what I'm saying? like like like I'll say Doa Die 3. I heard some tracks off of that project. and I was like, yo, A Z found a way to create his original sound from Doa Die and recreate it for an older audience, you know what I'm saying? But then you got other cases like Will Smith that didn't really make that. impact that he thought he was gonna make, but still managed to make a album that really shows who he is as a older adult now. And as a senior in some cases. I don't mean the sales though. I don't think the I don't mean the sales. The critical cla Yeah, like the critical and public, because like that's what matters most, the attention. You know what I'm saying? The let the amount of attention didn't match up to the attention that make we have made we may have gotten from like this Jill Scott album or even Wale's album. Because Wale's getting to that point where he's becoming a star. No, no, no. I'm not including Wale's album. Yeah, I do agree with that. But I'm not including Wale's album as to, you know, one of those albums that got forgotten because it definitely didn't. It has still has a wave around here in DC. So I'm not saying that one. But like to your point, I do think that we're getting we're seeing more artists come out with their projects at an older age. And now we're starting to see the vulnerability from that aspect in rap. when we didn't originally see it before. at one point a record label said that, you know, you've aged out of the process and now we're just not gonna make any music. But since we do have so many artists, you know, leaving re you know, record labels and having the freedom, you know, to drop projects, we're starting to see it a little bit more now. And I like that. And I I like the fact that you did choose these two because I do think that specifically Jill Scott album Truly shows that. And shows that even at this point in her life where she's not the international star or the international actress that she once was, she can still make a really good project and still tour and coast off of that and live her life till it's golden. No puns intended. Or maybe all puns intended. I know, I know, that's terrible. I think the last one for me is going to be Gentlemen's Club by YG. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, granted, now I'm not gonna I I'm not gonna add this to my best of the year so far because it just came out at the point that we're recording this, but I will say that it is a good album that caught me off guard because he really he was really vulnerable on this project. And I wasn't expecting so much vulnerability and or so much so much i wouldn't say militance but so much assertive assertiveness in providing a message with this album compared to his other albums he has done it before but they managed to just be skits that you would you know listen to but for this album you it was very clear that he was trying to say something and use his sound to say it So I did like that. I'm still going through the project, through the pro excuse me, through the project. So I'm still, you know, figuring things out. But I will say the gentleman's club has definitely been in rotation lately. So I'm gonna throw that in as a recommendation. or at least, you know, best of the year so far. And I also got albums on deck. So I'm definitely going to listen to WAC Museum, Currency and Larry June's Spinal Staircases. I want to throw that into rotation. Yeah, yeah. And the thing is, Larry June definitely is kind of holding the flag for that that genre of rap, like the cozy raps. But like, I don't know if it's me. Mexico Drove? Mexico Drove? For cozy raps though? I don't know about cozy raps. Two chains for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, it sounds different. It's yeah. That's what I'm saying. It reminds me of like and I'm not saying it's bad. That would be dope. That would be dope as hell. I do feel like Mexico Dro doesn't talk like he doesn't talk about trapping and shit like that because he's not that. So he's very honest with his music, which is something that I like. But I thought because of the sound being a lot more aggressive and of that spaced out Atlanta sound, I thought that that wouldn't be considered cozy raps. But hey, man, hey, if you like it, we love it. We in there. But then again, I think about Corner Boy P. And like the sound that he had, cause he had he had a a more of a a relaxed trap vibe to him, but he managed to kind of really put out something like that was very soulful, but then still trap like, you know what I'm saying? Whereas Mexico Dro was a little bit more reminding me of the trap or die, you know what I'm saying, that 2005 to 2010 pocket. That I didn't think was cozy raps. That era of Larry is not cozy raps though. We have to be very clear because he was talking about some wild shit in that era. I was there for that era. I I was there for that. The Mad Backs? Mm. Okay, okay. I I haven't I haven't heard that. I gotta listen to that joke. I gotta listen to that joke. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, okay, okay. I'm I'm picking up what you're putting down. So yeah, I'm gonna throw out the gentleman's club, Tierra Whack, Currency, Larry June, Star Spinal Staircases, the Gorillas album. I wanna listen to that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, because I I I definitely fuck with the gorillas. I remember my cousin having the album on CD. And we was blasting that shit. Maxo Cream and JPEG Mafia, they dropped the collab project. You like it? I see I'm I'm I'm I'm trying to tap into it, man. Like I've heard one track off of it. I'm still trying to digest it because it's a lot tougher to digest with Maxo and and JPEG Mafia. It's hard to process because it's like you would have never thought well I think now that Maxo's messing with artists like Tyler the Creator, I think now he's able to do it a little bit more. But before that he was just going for some hard ass Texas Southern beats and shit like that. So it it kinda caught me off guard when he was doing this with JPEG Mafia. so I'm I'm still digesting some of the songs off the project, but for what I've heard, I liked. I just wanna finish it and and actually have an opinion. Mm. Tias Killed the King and King Carson's Experiment. Those are my last two on deck. Yeah. Yeah. yeah. He wouldn't be doing these concerts for no go, go, wait, wait. I mean, he has the power to do it, but just thinking I don't know, just thinking about Jay-Z and how he thinks. I think that this is aside from the 30 years of reasonable doubt, I I think that there might be something that he's probably working on. if he's not doing it right now. if he does drop something, it wouldn't be surprising, but You know, I think with Jay Z, like he he has the power and the influence to actually do a media run like he n previously did, you know, for albums. So I think we might see a more of a old school run, you know, like he did if he were to drop a new album. But I do think that these two performances are for are aren't for nothing. You know what I'm saying? He's just doing it like fuck it, I could do it, you know. So there could be something down the pipeline, but who knows what Jay Z. Da ha ha Yes. yeah. yeah. I got that shit on vinyl. It was yeah, I got it on vinyl. Yes! He's been showing up on my playlist a lot more. Yes, actually. I think he's on my I think he's on my playlist. I think he's actually on one of my like he's gonna be on my next mix, I think. Yeah. What have you heard? Yeah. Yeah, of course. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's from North Carolina? What? I see see I did not know that. shit. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go on raise up. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Back working. Peace.