A year full of rising rap newcomers and seasoned vets that delivered a solid soundtrack over the last 12 months. Continue reading…
EST Gee
Moneybagg Yo, Lil Durk, And EST Gee Stand Tall And Flex Muscle In Their Video For ‘Switches & Dracs’
“Nearly six months after its release, Moneybagg Yo returned with a reloaded version of his fourth album, A Gangsta’s Pain, which added seven additional songs to the album’s original 22 tracks. One of those is “Switches & Dracs,” featuring Lil Durk and EST Gee. Now there’s a video, in which the rappers stand tall and flex heavy muscle while delivering rhymes about their loyalty.
The album’s extended version also includes new appearances from DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Ashanti, Yung Bleu, Ja’niyah, and Big Homiie G. They join acts such as Polo G, Kaash Paige, Pharrell, Future, Big30, and more, who appeared on the album’s standard version. Shortly after A Gangsta’s Pain was originally released, it topped the charts, becoming Moneybagg’s first No. 1 album. A couple of weeks later, it returned to No. 1, making it one of eight albums in 2021 to spend multiple weeks atop the albums chart.
Prior to releasing the extended version of A Gangsta’s Pain, Moneybagg released a sultry video for “One Of Them Nights” and got lost in the sunken place in his video for “Wockesha.”
You can watch the video for the new track above.
A Gangsta’s Pain: Reloaded is out now via CMG/N-Less/Interscope Records. Get it here.
EST Gee Threatens Revenge In His Borderline Blasphemous ‘Make It Even’ Video
Louisville rapper EST gets borderline blasphemous in the new video for “Make It Even” from his recently released mixtape Bigger Than Life Or Death, out now on Interscope Records. Actually, I guess it’s probably more sacrilegious, with its irreverent use of Christian iconography including crucifixes, altars, and confessionals as he threatens bloody revenge on his enemies.
The wicked concept constitutes something of a departure for the Collective Music Group rapper, whose videos are usually meditations on the spoils of rap and other, less legal activities. Generally, he’s surrounded by women, as he is in the “Price Tag” video, or money, like in the videos for “Riata Dada,” “5500 Degrees,” and “In Town.” Even when he’s making a guest appearance, as he does on G-Eazy’s “At Will” and 42 Dugg’s “Rose Gold,” it seems like his singular focus is money — which is why the imagery in “Make It Even” is even more jarring, whatever your spiritual affiliation.
Whatever visual cues he uses, it’s clear he’s having a stellar year, from featuring on fellow Louisville citizen Jack Harlow’s album to meeting with Jay-Z. EST Gee’s profile is rising, bit by bit, thanks to his consistency where it counts: His gritty, unapologetic lyrics.
Watch EST Gee’s “Make It Even” video above.
Bigger Than Life Or Death is out now via Collective Music Group and Interscope Records. You can stream it here.
Est Gee And Lil Durk Reflect On Their Upbringings In The Dark ‘In Town’ Video
Right on the heels of his mixtape Bigger Than Life Or Death, Louisville rapper Est Gee has shared the video for his collaboration with Lil Durk, “In Town.” After a number of breakout songs like the title track of his mixtape, “Price Tag,” “Capitol 1” “Riata Dada,” and “5500 Degrees,” this new video reflects on the hard upbringings both rappers have faced.
Directed by Est Gee’s frequent collaborator Diesel Films, the video is a mix of performance shots and a drive through old neighborhoods that these artists have now transcended but can’t seem to forget. “In Town” is one of the latest songs released off Bigger Than Life Or Death, which had an impressive showing on the Billboard charts despite its mixtape status. The release hit No. 7 on the charts and has earned lots of critical praise for Est Gee, who has been dubbed one of the most impressive rising rookies in rap. As for Lil Durk, he’s been one of Chicago’s most beloved cult rappers for a minute now, and his latest joint album with Lil Baby, The Voice Of The Heroes hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Check out the new video from these two above, and look out for more coming from both soon.
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42 Dugg And EST Gee Flex Like Their Lives Depend On It In The Lustrous ‘Rose Gold’ Video
At this point, it feels like you know what you’re getting with a video from Yo Gotti’s CMG camp. There will be cars, jewelry, stacks of cash, and perhaps most importantly, squads of scantily clad women twerking for the street-bred rappers signed to the label. When there are multiple CMG rappers involved, as there are in 42 Dugg‘s “Rose Gold” video featuring EST Gee, these trappings will be doubled to account for the additional rap star’s benefit.
Dugg and Gee do what they do best on the song, flexing their hard-won block credentials and the fruits of their success — both in the rap game and their “extracurricular” activities. The two rising stars do have undeniable chemistry together, which fits as both were hand-picked by Yo Gotti as the future of trap-inspired street rap. The two Midwestern spitters do similar things but in vastly different ways, with Dugg’s slippery flow reflecting the loose relationship between beat and rap cadence characteristic of rap artists from his hometown, Detroit, and EST Gee’s choppier approach evoking his fellow Louisvillians’ more precise attack.
“Rose Gold” is one of the 23 original tracks on Dugg’s latest mixtape, Free Dem Boyz, which is out now on CMG and Lil Baby’s 4PF label, along with “4 Da Gang,” “Maybach,” and “Turnest N**** In The City.”
Watch 42 Dugg’s “Rose Gold” video featuring EST Gee above.
Est Gee’s ‘5500 Degree’ Video Is A Massive Flex Featuring Lil Baby, 42 Dugg And Rylo
Steadily dropping new singles all summer, rising Louisville rapper Est Gee has been on a run lately with track like “Riata Dada,” “Price Tag,” and “Capitol 1,” all of which appeared on his Bigger Than Life Or Death project from last month. That album also cracked the Billboard 200 chart, hitting No. 7, and dith momentum like that, all anyone would expect Est Gee to do is keep dropping new music. Today, that’s exactly what he’s done — although, if he’s going to be meeting up with Jay Z to put in work at the studio, he better come alone.
His latest single “5500 Degrees” is a study in the art of the posse cut, with Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, and Rylo all joining in. The video is a massive flex with stacks of cash everywhere, lots of fancy cars, diamond encrusted chains, and all the rappers partying together, celebrating their abundance. The track is a clever update of Juvenile’s 1998 classic “400 Degreez,” and is just another example of how ’90s nostalgia is finding its way into hip-hop and the pop mainstream of late. All the rappers deliver on their verses, but Lil Baby’s final, rapid-fire effort is definitely worth sticking around for. Watch the video above and look out for more new music from Est Gee coming soon.
G-Eazy And EST Gee Refuse To Heed The Commands Of Anyone On The Ornery ‘At Will’
Since rising to fame with his 2014 debut album These Things Happen, G-Eazy has yet to go a full calendar year without sharing a project of some sort with his fans. The Bay Area act tallied four albums and five EPs in the seven years that followed and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. With the sequel project to that 2014 effort, These Things Happen Too, on the way, G-Eazy calls on EST Gee on his ornery new single, “At Will.”
The muscular effort finds the two rappers stepping up to whatever tries to stand in their way. G-Eazy leads the way with an opening verse that aims to separate himself from the competition. “They get to reachin’, that sh*t is pathеtic,” he raps. “They couldn’t walk in my shoes if I let ’em.” He then lends the mic to EST Gee, who delivers a similar verse while reflecting on his past actions. “I beat the streets, I ain’t goin’ to jail,” he says before adding, “It was killed or be killed, am I goin’ to hell?” The single also comes with a flashy visual that puts the two rappers beside a white Lamborghini and a whole lot of money to throw into the sky.
The new collaboration is expected to appear on G-Eazy’s These Things Happen Too, which he confirmed would arrive at some point this year. He also revealed that he’s recorded over 330 songs for the project, which already boasts “A Little More” with Kiana Lede and “Down” with Mulatto as potential lead singles. EST Gee, on the other hand, is just a little over a week removed from sharing Bigger Than Life Or Death, his second project of the year.
You can listen to the new track in the video above.
EST Gee Continues His Breakout Run With The Opulent ‘Riata Dada’ Video
Louisville rapper EST Gee has been full steam ahead promoting his new project, Bigger Than Life Or Death, putting out a string of videos for the mixtape’s songs, including the self-titled lead single, “Capitol 1,” and “Price Tag.” His latest addition to the growing videography is “Riata Dada,” a bass-heavy, clamoring banger featuring his favorite things: Fast cars, chunky jewelry, stacks of cash, and scantily-clad women.
Built atop a cacophonous beat by Akachi, Southside, TM88, and TooDope (the number one producers perhaps explains the cascading, competing synth sounds), “Riata Dada” is a chorus-less, one-verse statement from EST Gee. Throughout the verse, he explains everything from why he signed with Yo Gotti over some other higher-profile labels (“If I wasn’t this, then I probably been done signed with DJ Drama/ But I’m thuggin’ and I’m shinin’, f*ck with coke, I roll with Gotti”) to whether or not he really even considers himself a rapper (“Did I really leave the streets alone to rap? I ain’t decided”).
EST Gee signing with Yo Gotti has given the CMG label a strong, stacked roster that has been racking up wins all year, including Moneybagg Yo’s No. 1, 42 Dugg’s XXL Freshman selection, and a label deal with Universal.
Watch EST Gee’s “Riata Dada” video above.
Bigger Than Life Or Death is out now via CMG/4PF. You can get it here.