Chow Lee and Cash Cobain have essentially grown up together in the music industry. Both are New Yorkers, and each artist loves sex and toxicity. Around this time last year, we started to cover this multi-talented duo, with Cash handling beats as well. In less than a year they have exploded, and we consider them pioneers of this sexy drill sound. Cobain has especially been thriving, as he is now one of the most in-demand producers going right now. Don Toliver, Drake, and Ice Spice are just a few that are riding on his wave. But the producer is going back to his roots as him and Chow Lee are here with “practice!”.
This track quickly follows up on “act bad twin!”, another collab with his close pal, as well as Bay Swag. It is perhaps one Chow and Cash’s moodiest cuts ever. If PARTYNEXTDOOR were to make music like this duo, that is what the production evokes the most to us. It is quickly becoming another hit for Lee, as it already has 155,000 plus streams in less than a month. According to a press release, “practice!” is essentially a continuation of that song, with the non-committal lover meeting his match.
The girl he is rapping about is looking for something more serious, however Chow is not on that energy. Instead, he wants to make her a side piece, but she is not going for it. “She said, “Why you talkin’ like that? You got b****es? You talk about p***y in all of your songs” / Baby, you talkin’ practice, uh“. For Chow, it sounds like he has a new project in the works. However, there is no additional information. Possible singles for the unnamed tape could be “ready 2 live!”, “swag it!”, and “SNA!” just to name a few.
She told me take her on a date, I’m freaky, I order p***y at the steakhouse I’m feelin’ litty, brought the Wraith out, lyin’ to b****es, sayin’ I’m at Drake house I bought a BBL for her birthday, upped it, I ain’t have to bring a cake out Baby, I’m not talkin’ practice Baby, I’m not talkin’ practice No, I ain’t Asian, I don’t know Chan, but I be with Jackie
This spring, Diany Dior delivered an “On The Radar” freestyle — featuring a cameo from Cash Cobain — and stayed to chat with On The Radar Radio. She teased “a surprise” with Cobain, a fellow Bronx-bred rapper, and she was presumably talking about her and Nav’s “Favorite Lady” remix featuring Cobain.
With On The Radar Radio, Dior shared that she had signed “a major label deal” with GoodTalk in January. CEO Slo contacted her through Instagram after her “Drewski Freestyle” from May 2023. She also teased collaborations with Skilla Baby and Fivio Foreign, and she returned to On The Radar to perform “Sexy Drill” with Fivio in late April.
“[In] 2021, it started,” Dior said. “I got myself into this little independent label, and I was in the studio working every day. I was outside doing shows by myself, getting my name out there. Being outside just led me to knowing mad people. By the time I did ‘Drewski,’ I knew the whole New York, but they just ain’t really respect me that much until I did that. Then, I got my respect.”
Since “Drewski,” Dior has released singles “Too P,” “Pack Came In,” “Not My Fault,” and “Favorite Lady.” She initially released “Favorite Lady” in April before Nav and Cobain hopped on the remix.
Most recently, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie brought Dior out during his Better Off Alone Tour stop at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on June 24.
“MADISON SQUARE GARDEN?!!!!!” Dior captioned an Instagram carousel about the show. “IM CRYING WHILE TYPING THIS WOW SMH THANK YOU NYC FOR SHOWING ME LOVE LAST NIGHT WOW!!! THANK YOU @aboogievsartist FOR BRINGING ME OUT!!! I COULD TAKE THIS TIME TO TELL EVERYONE WHO SLEPT ON ME SOMETHING BUT I RATHER JUST TELL EVERYONE WHO STOOD 10 W ME THAT I LOVE YA SO MUCHHHH MAMA LOOK OH YEA EVERYONE I GREW UP LISTENING TO, NOW LISTENING TO ME & I CANT THANK GOD ENOUGH!!! BX STAND UPPP.”
Cash Cobain is blowing up. He’s become one of the most sought-after talents in hip-hop over the last couple years. Unsurprisingly, Cobain has already linked up with Drake. The two men collaborated on the song “Calling for You,” which has become a source of controversy since its release in 2023. A reference track for “Calling for You” seemingly leaked online in April, suggesting that Cobain wrote the entire song. The rapper dismissed the reference track on social media, but a recent No Jumper interview led to him doubling down on his claim.
Cash Cobain was asked for clarity and he provided it. He claimed that the rumor of him ghostwriting for Drake is “fake news” and “cap” with no concrete proof. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told the host. “I don’t write for nobody but me.” Cobain went on to assert that he isn’t against the concept of writing for other artists. “Why not,” he said. “Rihanna do it, Beyonce do it. All day, they got the biggest records. It’s a business.” He did, however, admit that there was a difference between writing for a pop singer or R&B star versus a rapper. “It’s just rap sh*t, you know,” he added.
Originality is something Cash Cobain prides himself on. He’s voiced admiration for artists like Jay-Z and 50 Cent the past, but made it clear that he wants to cultivate his own sound. “I didn’t want to emulate nobody,” he told Passion of the Weiss. “I love 50 Cent, Jay-Z, I loved all the artists growing up but those two were like, the main ones. [But] I didn’t want to emulate. I just wanted to make beats.” The decision to pursue a distinct sound has definitely paid off. Cash Cobain’s sound, which he describes as “sexy trap,” has spread like wildfire in 2024. He’s gotten co-signs from artists like J. Cole and Busta Rhymes, and his production style has is gradually bleeding into the mainstream.
Cash Cobain recently made the XXL Freshman list. He’s yet to link back up with Drake following the AI reference track leak, but the more successful he gets on his own, the less he needs a co-sign from the 6 God. Especially considering the all-time low that Drake’s reputation is currently at. It’ll be fascinating to see whether Cash Cobain recants his claim about writing only for himself as his profile continues to rise. Especially as more and more pop artists try to emulate his sound. If anything, Drake just got to the party early.
The most anticipated preview of hip-hop to come has arrived. The XXL Freshman Class is an annual tradition that lets hip-hop fans get a look at the year’s fastest-rising stars.
Prior lists have included Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, and more, so it’s usually a pretty good indicator of how artists’ careers are playing out — and at least one name on the cover is almost guaranteed to become a superstar. See below for a breakdown of each rapper’s breakout moment.
BigXThaPlug
BigXThaPlug hails from Dallas and his big hits so far are “Mmhmm” and “Texas.”
Bossman Dlow
His breakout single “Get In With Me” went viral on TikTok earlier this year, precipitating a No. 20 debut for his new tape, Mr Beat The Road.
Cash Cobain
Known for his “Slizzy” approach to the traditional New York sound, Cash’s biggest looks came from “Fisherrr” and his J. Cole collab, “Grippy.”
Hunxho
Hunxho’s rise has been steady since 2021, with “Let’s Get It”; he’s since released a string of solid mixtapes including 2023’s For Her, which peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard 200.
Lay Bankz
A string of viral TikTok hits culminated this year with “Tell Ur Girlfriend” and After 7 her major-label debut project.
Maiya The Don
In October 2022, Maiya dropped “Telfy” garnering about as much popularity as the titular bag. She’s since supported Flo Milli on tour after appearing on the Montgomery rapper’s “Conceited” remix, and even teamed up with the New York Liberty.
Rich Amiri
“One Call,” was just the latest song to jump from TikTok to the Hot 100 in February.
ScarLip
You’ve likely heard “Glizzy Gobbler,” Scar’s 2022 hit viral hit; if not, you may have seen her featured alongside some of the biggest names in hardcore hip-hop, including Swizz Beatz, Jadakiss, and Benny the Butcher, Snoop Dogg, and more.
That Mexican OT
Best known for his 2023 single “Johnny Dang,” That Mexican OT is probably the breakout star of this year’s Freshman class. His albums, Lonestar Luchador and Texas Technician, have both been critical and commercial successes, and he’s bringing back the Houston sound.
4Batz
“Act II: Date @ 8” became an out-of-nowhere hit early this year, garnering the timely co-sign of Drake just before he took a shot at Kendrick Lamar and had the whole rap world turn against him. It doesn’t look like the blowback has landed on 4Batz, though; he seems to be doing great in comparison.
Don Toliver has an instantly recognizable voice. Few artists make their presence on a track known as a quickly as the Houston rapper. It’s the reason Travis Scott signed him to Cactus Jack Records, and why he’s amassed a huge following over the last five years. HARDSTONE PSYCHO is his fourth album, but it truly feels like a coming out party. The album encapsulates everything Don Toliver does well on record, while introducing new and exciting musical ideas. Simply put, it’s his best release to date.
The writing was on the wall from the singles. “BANDIT” was a stunning teaser single built on a classic rock sample and a stuttering beat. “ATTITUDE” was even better, as Don Toliver teamed up with Cash Cobain to remake a beloved Pharrell track. The rest of HARDSTONE PSYCHO maintains this exciting, musically bold direction. “BACKSTREETS” is a memorable duet with another eccentric vocalist, Teezo Touchdown. Travis Scott shows up a couple of times to wave the Cactus Jack flag, but his presence is most notable on the nocturnal “INSIDE.” All of the features do their thing, but HARDSTONE PSYCHO is a triumph because Toliver carries the solo tracks with newfound confidence. He’s never sounded better on solo cuts like “LAST LAUGH” and “TORE UP.” He’s the real deal, in case that was ever in doubt.
Let us know what you think of this brand-new track, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Find everything you need to know about Hardstone Psycho below.
Release Date
Hardstone Psycho is due out on 6/14 via Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.
Tracklist
1. “Kryptonite”
2. “Tore Up”
3. “Brother Stone” Feat. Kodak Black
4. “Attitude” Feat. Charlie Wilson & Cash Cobain
5. “Bandit”
6. “Glock”
7. “Ice Age” Feat. Travis Scott
8. “4×4”
9. “Purple Rain” Feat. Future
10. “New Drop”
11. “Backstreets” Feat. Teezo Touchdown
12. “Deep In The Water”
13. “Inside” Feat. Travis Scott
14. “5 To 10”
15. “Last Laugh”
16. “Hardstone National Anthem”
Singles
“Attitude” and “Deep In The Water” join the aforementioned “Bandit” as Toliver’s Hardstone Psycho singles.
Features
Toliver stacked Hardstone Psycho with notable features. The featured artists are Cash Cobain, Charlie Wilson, Future, Kodak Black, Teezo Touchdown, and Travis Scott. Scott’s inclusion is unsurprising because Toliver is signed to Scott’s Cactus Jack imprint.
Artwork
Tour
As of this writing, Toliver hasn’t announced a headlining tour in support of Hardstone Psycho. However, the Houston-bred artist is scheduled to perform at several festivals this summer, including The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash on Friday, June 14, at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. See all of Toliver’s upcoming dates here.
Ice Spice has had a pretty busy day so far, announcing the release date of her long-awaited debut albumY2K, and now, the dates for the accompanying tour, which will include several festival appearances overseas throughout July and 17 dates in the US through July 30 and August. The “Think U The Sh*t” rapper, also released her new single, “Gimmie A Light,” last month, will be hitting New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and more on her cross-country trip, finishing up in Miami Beach on August 31. Her album Y2K will release just before she returns to the US, on July 26. Cash Cobain, whose breakout song “Fisherrr” Ice Spice remixed, will join her as opening act.
Tickets for the tour will go on sale on June 7 at 10 AM local time, with a Citi presale beginning today at 1 PM local time. You can see the tour dates below and find more information here.
Getty Image
Ice Spice 2024 Tour Dates
07/04 — Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival^*
07/05 — Gdynia, Poland @ Open’er Festival^*
07/07 — Vienna, Austria @ Rolling Loud Europe^
07/11 — Costinesti, Romania @ Beach, Please! Festival^*
07/12 — London, UK @ Wireless Festival^
07/13 — Frauenfeld, Switzerland @ Openair Frauenfeld^*
07/18 — Dour, Belgium @ Dour Festival^*
07/30 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
08/01 — Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theater
08/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
08/04 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
08/06 — New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17
08/09 — Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
08/11 — Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
08/13 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
08/14 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
08/17 — Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
08/19 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
08/21 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
08/23 — Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
08/25 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory Deep Ellum *
08/26 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
08/28 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
08/31 — Miami Beach, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater
Cash Cobain has had his fingerprints all over the place as of late. The New York bred rapper and producer has quickly risen in popularity and notoriety amongst fans and his peers for his unmistakable style. Considered “sexy drill”, this man absolutely lives for the nighttime and creating wavy club bangers. Over the last few weeks, Cash has seemingly worked with every major artist you can think of, including J. Coleof all people.
Additionally, he got to work alongside Don Toliver and Charlie Wilson on “Attitude”, which will land on the former’s forthcoming album Hardstone Psycho. Cash also produced for Ice Spice and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, just to name a few extra. Now, he is working alongside UK multi-hyphenate Lancey Foux for his collaborative single “Daylight”, which also features the eclectic Teezo Touchdown. Over the last couple singles, Foux has been doing some interesting things over in the R&B space, and this is another venture.
Listen To “Daylight” By Lancey Foux, Teezo Touchdown, & Cash Cobain
On this cut, Teezo and Lancey are wanting to love a woman so much that it continues into the next day, every time that they are together. Foux auto-tune croons his way across the transcendental beat from Cash, whereas Teezo brings his trademark energetic nature to break up the lowkey nature of the track. Even though the instrumental is solid, a lot of listeners are quickly growing tired of Cash’s repetitive nature. “Cash Cobain run is bout to end real soon if he don’t find a new trick,” one user writes on IG. “So cash cobain just giving everyone the same beat huh?”, another adds.
What are your thoughts on “Daylight” by Lancey Foux, Teezo Touchdown, and Cash Cobain? Is this one of his better singles as of late, why or why not? Do you think he is gearing up for a new album soon? Where do you rank this beat amongst Cash’s most recent collaborations? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Cash Cobain, Lancey Foux, and Teezo Touchdown. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Quotable Lyrics:
All she know is, yes, “Yes, princess” (Yes, yes, yes) Of course, for sure, you got it, uh-huh, unless (That’s you) I don’t have it no more and, even if, you get the rest (She got it) It’s a parlay, a parlay, a parlay, baby, it’s a bet (Party, party) I put it on my life, baby, me and you gon’ be set (We gon’ be great) And if you ain’t got it, that mean you ain’t made it yet
J Cole has a reputation for bringing elite rhymes and skilled guest vocals to other artists’ songs, with some features such as “Johnny P’s Caddy” going down in rap history books as the hardest in recent memory. Unfortunately, even J Cole can have a miss or two on his record, as evidenced by his feature on the recent Cash Cobain track “Grippy.” “Grippy” has been universally panned by critics and fans of J Cole alike, with most listeners lamenting the awkward delivery, poor mixing, and especially cringe lyrics as major lowlights. Let’s dive into a brief list of Cole’s worst bars on the track, and examine what makes the song so awkward. Without further ado, here are 5 of the most cringe J Cole lyrics on “Grippy.”
Rappers often utilize shoddy wordplay to force a rhyme into place or paint a visual image. Most times, fans are willing to accept these instances and move right along. That is, as long as the tone and delivery of the awkward bars are jovial, and don’t take themselves too seriously. On “Grippy,” this is not the case, as J Cole opens his verse with a painful comparison between the words “hip” and “hippie.” On the song, the Dreamville head honcho raps “Grippy, huh/ Grippy, I call her that ’cause it’s grippy/ She thick in the hips, she a hippie.” These lyrics are spoken with the comfortable vibrato of a man who didn’t just spend the last month getting torn apart by rap fans for apologizing to Kendrick Lamar, and serve as a really painful first post-beef outing.
4. The Sloppy Similes Keep Going
As fans of J Cole, we all wish the awkward bars on “Grippy” would have ended with the hippie punch line, but things only get worse from there. Cole goes on to deliver one of the worst similes of his entire career with the bars “With a kissy emoji, she miss me/ When she see me, she say she gon’ strip me/ She gon’ chew on this stick like it’s Wrigley’s.” In case you need those lyrics broken down, he’s referencing Wrigley’s chewing gum, in an allusion to a woman performing oral sex. It remains unclear, however, why J Cole thinks “chewing” is a term that belongs anywhere in the same universe as a bar about receiving oral, but that’s his personal business.
Without a doubt, the most heavily-memed bar on this record comes in the form of a borderline problematic lyric, in which J Cole raps “Mm, yеah, believe it or not likе Ripley’s/ She said she was gay until I slayed, now she strictly dickly.” Here J Cole suggests that he’s such a powerful performer in the bedroom that he could convince a lesbian to turn straight. This would be an awkward bar for any rapper to deliver at any point in their career, but it’s especially odd after Cole just faced backlash for some seemingly transphobic bars on his most recent release. Either way, fans have already started posting audio clips of this portion of the song alongside images of The Simpsons‘ Ned Flanders, as he delivers his classic lines like “Okilly dokilly.”
2. Graphic Sexual Depictions Make The Track Nauseating
Some rap songs are specifically designed to be added to a bedroom playlist. While there’s no way of knowing for sure if that was the intent that J Cole and Cash Cobain had in mind when they penned “Grippy,” it certainly seems like they weren’t shy about delivering graphic sexual imagery in their lyrics. As J Cole nears the merciful end of his cringe-inducing feature, he offers up the bars, “I gotta get you up out of them Vickies/ uh, like p**** so good, I just had an epiphany/ It’s grippy and wet, you know I’m a vet, but you makin’ me feel like a rookie/ How you make me tap out so swiftly?” Maybe in an alternate universe, somebody could consider these lyrics steamy, but currently, these bars are positively obnoxious.
Nearing the close of J Cole’s verse on “Grippy” forces the listener to look inward and ask themselves what exactly Cole meant the last few years while promising The Fall Off. If this awkward and cringe-worthy refrain is anything to go by, that title may serve as much more than just the name of a long-awaited album. Cole closes out his verse by crooning “Like, b****, I’ma send all your kids to Disney/ hmm, hmm I’ma pay a lil’ extra, make sure they meet Mickey/ hmm she a what? She a what,she a grippy/ huh she a what? She a what, she a grippy.” Needless to say, this song has been getting a lot of attention from fans online, for all the wrong reasons. Even J Cole’s most die-hard supporters are finding it impossible to defend his awkward bars on this latest verse.
Drake’s had a controversial history with reference tracks. The 2015 reference track for “10 Bands” was what sparked the rumor that the rapper used ghostwriters, and he has struggled to live them down ever since. Kendrick Lamar mentioned ghostwriters during his recent battle with Drake, and every couple of months, it seems as though another reference track for a Drake song makes its way online. The latest is “Mob Ties,” which was a single on his 2018 double album, Scorpion.
“Mob Ties” has multiple credited songwriters. Drake is one of them, then Allen Ritter and Boi-1da, both of whom produce the song. The Firm and the Trackmasters are also credited, which makes sense given that “Mob Ties” samples the 1996 Nas single “Affirmative Action.” Vory is the only one songwriter who isn’t part of OVO or the artists who made “Affirmative Action.” His involvement in “Mob Ties” was never made clear, but if the leaked reference is to be believed, Vory wrote the bulk of the song. The version he did has a very similar structure, and only a few differences in terms of lyrics.
— Pusha Thanos !!! (new acc) (@PushaThanos__) May 28, 2024
To be clear, this is not a ghostwriting situation. Vory is credited on the final version of “Mob Ties,” just like he is on Bryson Tiller’s 2015 single “Don’t.” Vory also pops up all over Kanye West’s 2021 album Donda. The artist is a frequent behind-the-scenes presence for some of the biggest names in rap. The notion of him penning a song for Drizzy is, consequently, not a surprise.
Vory’s involvement with “Mob Ties” has been debated in the past. DJ Akademiks claimed Vory didn’t have any involvement with the song during a Twitch stream, only to look it up and realize he was wrong. “[Vory] is credited,” he asserted. “But he ain’t write nothing.” This reference track upends DJ Akademiks’ theory outright. That being said, Vory has not yet verified that the reference is real.
A reference track for Drake’s 2023 song “Calling for You” was leaked online, only for the artist credited on the reference track, Cash Cobain, to refute it. The rapper/producer hopped on Instagram to post an image of Allen Iverson. In other words, the reference was as fake as Iverson’s famous fake pass move. AI-generated content is making it harder than ever to determine what’s real. Ironic, given Drake’s own use of AI for his “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
(@nojumper)
