song

The Notorious B.I.G is widely hailed as one of the greatest rappers of all time, a distinction that would elicit few arguments from the hip-hop community. Yet sadly, the long-hailed king of New York only has two studio albums to his name — his 1994 debut Ready To Die and his 1997 double-album Life After Death, recorded during his lifetime but released sixteen days following his murder. 

Though the album spawned some of Biggie’s major hits, including “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Hypnotize,” it also contained some of his signature darker cuts — including the brutal and introspective “What’s Beef,” a track that many still hold as one of Biggie’s crowning achievements. Featuring some truly disturbing lyricism that would never fly in today’s climate, Biggie held nothing back as he examined the consequences of engaging in real street warfare. “Man, listen, straight torture, look what that slick shit bought ya,” he spits, in the climactic third verse. “A first-class ticket to Lucifer, real name Christopher.” 

A disturbing examination into the twisted mind of one of rap’s greatest lyricists, “What’s Beef” remains an integral piece of the hip-hop canon to this day. Twenty-fours years removed from the initial release of Biggie’s sophomore album Life After Death, revisit one of the most influential tracks to emerge from his deep and storied catalog.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Man, listen, straight torture
Look what that slick shit bought ya
A first-class ticket to Lucifer, real name Christopher
Here lies your demise, close your eyes 
Think good thoughts, die while your skin start to glisten
Pale blue hands get cold, your soul’s risen

They’ve been enigmatically rolling out something new since January, and finally, BROCKHAMPTON fans are celebrating the arrival of their new single. The Hip Hop collective has seen some changes to their line-up, but their determination to create music that both they and their supporters love remains intact. Ahead of the usual Friday drop, BROCKHAMPTON shared their “BUZZCUT” release that features a look from Danny Brown.

Along with the new single comes a colorful, dare we say “abstract” visual directed by Dan Streit with Kevin Abstract acting as creative director. The trippy clip weaves in and out of non-sensical scenes that teeter on the lines of animation. Check out “BUZZCUT” by BROCKHAMPTON featuring Danny Brown and let us know your thoughts.

Quotable Lyrics

Where to begin? A veteran with a medicine pen
Let ’em all in, treat ’em like they next of my kin
Checkin’ your chin way before the record begin
N*ggas blow a lot of smoke like they breathe in the wind

Megan Thee Stallion didn’t leave the Grammy awards empty-handed. The H-Town Hottie emerged victorious, even if it did spur a bit of controversy within the rap categories. Megan’s “Savage (Remix)” ft. Beyoncé took home the awards for Record Of The Year, Rap Performance Of The Year, and Rap Song Of The Year. Beyond a win for two incredibly talented women, it was a moment of celebration for the city of Houston.

A week and a half after Megan’s big evening at the award show, Paul Wall has slid through with his own version of the Grammy-award-winning single. The rapper came through with “Savage Flow.” The quick freestyle offers shout-outs to his friends in the rap game, as well as local heroes while declaring himself “the hood Ferris Bueller” and calling for Larry Hoover’s freedom within the same breath.

“Shoutout to Megan Thee Stallion for constantly destroying it out there,” he wrote in the comment section.

Check out the latest from Paul Wall below.

Quotable Lyrics
Who there got that good fired up? What you waitin’ up?
Acres on the Clayton homes, blazin’ on they Lakers home
That’s Los Angeles, top tier cannabis
If you not a smoker, odds are you can’t handle it 

Earl Sweatshirt’s career hasn’t been the most linear or typical journey for a rapper who was once touted as being the prodigal son of Hip-Hop. Rising to rap notoriety through the polarizing Los Angeles-based collective Odd Future, Earl was notoriously absent during the group’s meteoric rise. As a result, many Hip-Hop fans didn’t know what to expect from the young lyricist following his return to the states. His debut album Doris finally arrived in 2013 to widespread acclaim, years after his infamous mixtape Earl. Yet, it was his sophomore outing that shifted Earl’s trajectory in an entirely different direction.

I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside was almost entirely self-produced, and the album saw Earl dive deeper into the dark, harrowing, and lo-fil soundscapes that fans today celebrate him for. While less commercially successful, IDLSIDGO still received mass critical acclaim, and upon its six-year anniversary, there’s no better song to revisit than its lead single “Grief.”

Produced by Earl under the moniker of RandomBlackDude, “Grief” was initially described by the artist as a “final lament and monologue,” but it also ironically sparked the stark shift in Earl’s sonic direction moving forward. The grimy lo-fi production sports robust samples from Gary Wilson’s “You Were Too Good to Be True” and Erykah Badu’s “Fall in Love (Your Funeral),” but in contrast to its upbeat sources of inspiration, the song sounds rugged and bleak. With a vicious first verse and a spacy second verse representing a well-executed artistic idea, “Grief” was a truly impressive single that truly set the stage for the otherworldly I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside.

Quotable Lyrics

You circus n*ggas, you turning into tricks
I was making waves, you was surfing in ’em
Dealing with the stomach pains just from birthing n*ggas’ shit
Cut the grass off the surface
Pray the lawnmower blade catch the back of a serpent n*gga’s shit

NUSKI2SQUAD has been the one to watch in the past year but it was in recent times that his single, “Live On (Thuggin Days).” The song is his breakout anthem that’s been making rounds across the Internet heavily in the past few months. However, like many breakout hits that have slowly picked up steam across YouTube and other platforms, it was only right that he revamped the track with a little boost from two familiar artists, G Herbo and Yungeen Ace. The two rappers connect with NUSKI for the official remix of the track, tackling the piano-laden production with aggression and pain.

NUSKI2SQUAD previously worked alongside Yungeen Ace on “Millions” from his debut project, Lost Child. 

Quotable Lyrics
Retaliation, who gon’ retaliate? We kill n***as
I’m missin’ gang, yell they name out like they here, n***a
And when we slide, opps gon’ feel it ’til they fear, n***a
Yeah, this song for the real n***as

Sleepy Hallow has returned to the fold with a new single, reuniting with producer Great John for “2 Sauce.” Set to appear on Hallow’s upcoming debut album, the track marks another strong release from the Brooklyn drill rapper, who has been on a consistently hard-hitting tear of late. On this latest joint, he takes to a hypnotic banger, sliding in with a laid-back delivery that meshes interestingly over the up-tempo percussion. It’s a testament to his instincts, as he understands when to pull back and when to let fly with full aggression.

“You know who call the shots, from the bottom, but now we on top,” he spits. “How was you still sleep? Now they lovin’, used to hate me / and my kicks clean, ain’t nobody ever had these.” Straightforward enough on a lyrical tip, but sold with enough conviction and charisma to shine. It should certainly be exciting to see how his debut album turns out, as he’s already carving out an interesting lane for himself. Case in point, his previous single “Tip Toe,” a diabolical Tiny Tim flip also orchestrated by Great John.

Look for him to continue establishing his presence as an original voice in the New York rap scene when his upcoming project lands in full. In the meantime, give “2 Sauce” a go and sound off below.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

You know who call the shots, from the bottom, but now we on top
How was you still sleep? Now they lovin’, used to hate me 
And my kicks clean, ain’t nobody ever had these

It’s been an extremely productive week in the world of Money Man. The Atlanta rapper might be reaching new heights in his career but he hasn’t switched up his approach to feeding the streets new music. Even if not all of his tracks are on streaming services, his YouTube page remains a goldmine for loose singles. This week, he flooded the street with back-to-back records and now, he’s returned with his latest offering, “Fuck A Show.” Money Man enlists Cmo Beats for the sinister trap production that’s matched by equally vicious details of the ruthless politics of the streets.

The latest from Money Man arrives after the release of “Statistic” and “For You.” Check his latest single, “F**k A Show” below, and sound off in the comments with your thoughts.

Quotable Lyrics
Hangin’ with some heathens but this n***a only fear God 
Had to kick the n***a out the circle, he was thinkin’ small
Shooter hit him three times in the chest, watch his body fall
If you ain’t worth atleast a hundred thousand, I can’t talk to y’all

Since the start of March, Atlanta rap upstart Deante’ Hitchcock has been unleashing freestyles of epic proportions on his YouTube channel every Tuesday. For the freestyle series, which is aptly titled #NewAtlantaTuesdays, Hitchcock has covered a mixture of classic Hip-Hop beats as well as production from some of the most popular songs out right now. To kick the series off, the Better artist jumped on Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III standout “Let The Beat Build,” and in the weeks following, he’s dropped freestyles to SpotemGottem’s viral TikTok hit “Beat Box” and Drake’s chart-topping single “What’s Next.” Now for the fourth installment of #NewAtlantaTuesdays, Deante’ Hitchcock returns with a two-minute take on a classic Atlanta beat from one of Hip-Hop’s most legendary duos.

On “Roses x OutKast (Freestyle),” Hitchcock bodies the beat to OutKast’s beloved Speakerboxxx/The Love Below cut “Roses.” Throughout the course of his freestyle, the ByStorm and RCA artist addresses his status as an “underrated” and “slept-on” artist while also discussing how those labels have affected him personally. Like the past three installments in the #NewAtlantaTuesdays series, “Roses x OutKast (Freestyle)” arrives in the form of a video, which shows Hitchcock sitting in a parking lot at an abandoned building. Throughout the video, he’s seen holding a sign that reads “WHILE I’M STILL HERE,” alluding to the fact that the Riverdale artist wants his roses now, rather than later.

If you haven’t been tuning in to Deante’ Hitchcock’s #NewAtlantaTuesdays freestyle series, be sure to do so, as many of them have been teasing his follow-up to his incredible debut album Better. 

Quotable Lyrics

How could I relate to n*ggas that’s thinkin’ I’m underrated
When my momma think I made it up off of these songs
How could I mistake a n*gga that’s sayin’ I’m underrated wit hate
Like they ain’t been playin my sh*t all along
Why would I debate wit n*ggas on Twitter
Bout how much realer my sh*t is than them other n*ggas lyin’ in songs

Brooklyn rapper Young M.A is officially back with her latest freestyle over CJ’s viral “Whoopty” beat. The drill instrumental has been around the block a few times, getting picked up by Pop Smoke, King Von, FBG Duck, and others before finding its way into CJ’s hard drive. His version of the song blew up and rappers across the nation have been jumping on the beat to show off what they can do over it.

Young M.A is the latest to come through over “Whoopty”, putting in some light work and holding her fans over until the release of her next mixtape. The freestyle sees her toting guns, menacing her opps, and bragging about the number of women she can bag. It comes alongside a music video directed by Marc Diamond.

Watch the video for “Ooouuuvie (Whoopty Freestyle)” below and let us know what you think of it.

Quotable Lyrics:

I ain’t claiming that b*tch
Heard she a thot, heard shawty play for a few teams
I’m young and I’m rich
Yes, I’m a thot, and yes I keep me a few tingz
Smoking the zaza
Got yak in the mata
I’m in Jamaica, speaking that Patois

The Kid LAROI has been on the go for a minute now, and today the Australian melodist has come through with a pair of new Spotify Singles. For those unfamiliar with the format, Spotify Singles tend to be acoustic reimaginings of existing songs — either that or covers of influential tracks. In addition to a new take on Drake’s Take Care gem “Shot For Me,” LAROI also slid through with a stripped-down version of his own “Without You.”

Over a lush arrangement of fingerpicked guitars, LAROI delivers a passionate performance, alternating between emotional vocals and a soaring falsetto. While it’s not entirely different from the recorded version — which currently holds thirty-five million views on YouTube alone — it’s impressive to see how his voice translates to a live studio setting. Perhaps we’ll see him explore a more guitar-driven sound on future releases, as he certainly has the vocal chops to make headway in that particular musical realm.

Check out LAROI’s Spotify Singles version of “Without You,” and sound off if you’re a fan of what the young artist has been offering so far. 

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Can’t make a wife out of a ho, oh
I’ll never find the words to say, I’m sorry
But I’m scared to be alone
You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally