Damn I am feeling this one. This is exactly the type of song I have been wanting to hear from Mozzy. This is OG music. ‘Big Homie from the Hood’ is my favorite song by him since Bladahdah. He’s spitting some real knowledge and hard-earned reflections here about being the big homie and the burdens that come with it. This came out in December and I’m just hearing it now but I’m really thinking about going back and giving it a spot on my best of 2019 list.Video of just the local ballgame in his neighborhood is awesome (I love that the two teams in his hood are rocking Red Sox and Phillies gear) and the beat is perfect for this song; so soulful.
“Mama knew I’m hustling can’t say nothing about it, I’m putting food in his fridge and I ain’t ate nothing out it.”
“How you run me out the hood but I’m the one who run it? I’m the one who make sure auntie ‘n ’em don’t want for nothing. I’m the one that motivate ’em baby, ask the youngins, tell ’em re-up with the 20s, stack the hundreds.”
Yet another joint from ALLBLACK and his Play Runners cohorts that’s got me like…
The homie of impeccable taste Onmin Ernstig showed me this one and I’m feeling it. The hook from Capolow is so sick. I want to hear more from this guy, he almost sounds like a reggae singer here. Maybe one of my favorite hooks of the year. According to Onmin Ernstig this is produced by P-Lo of Same Squad fame, and he’s producing a whole ALLBLACK/Offset Jim collaboration EP, which I can definitely get behind.
Dare I ask if P-Lo one of ALLBLACK’s “Cambodian niggas that’s blacker than Barack Obama?” Just look at ALLBLACK and P-Lo strutting down the street together with the bikers @ 1:53. I’m not at all surprised that ALLBLACK is down with the BMXers I can see him moving comfortably in that crowd.
P.S. take notes on the sage advice from ALLBLACK at the beginning of the video.
Another great track off of Extras and I didn’t realize a video for Decent came out a few weeks ago. This three-syllable 2 or 3/.223’s/Jujubees/bookoo cheese/threw 2 keys/blew 2 G’s/blew through cheese rhyme scheme here and the way he deftly weaves through it is nuts.
“My life remind me of State Property I feel like I’m Beans.” YES! I can definitely get behind a Beanie Siegel homage in 2019.
I’m not a huge car guy (mainly because I’m broke) but I have to say that this Hellcat with the Hellcat logo is dope and truly befitting of a rapper with Cash Click Boog’s lyrical acumen.
“You’re eyes would glow like a full moon if you hit this shit. I don’t care about your block I’ll spin that bitch. Beefing since ’06, boy you just hopped in some shit.” Oh my God.
“I just made it to Florida, but I’m leaving here shortly.” No trip to Universal or Disney for Boog he’s all business.
After giving Cash Click Boog’s Extras probably upwards of 50 spins over the last month or so, I think Mayor is the hardest song on the tape, which is saying a lot because I can honestly say that every track on it is a legitimate banger. I’d go as far as to say it may be one of the hardest 1:30’s I’ve ever heard.
Boog just sounds absolutely ruthless on this…
“He dissed Tino in a song he can’t take that back, that means him or his mans gonna have to pay for that, niggas mention my name state the facts, stripped Reesie out his chain, shoulda breaked his hat.” Something about the ‘should have breaked his hat’ sounds so angry and vindictive I love it.
“Free HTL Willy, he a maniac. The block on fire, I’m the one that got blamed for that. Been a killer, niggas act like I can’t relapse. 10 times out of 10 if we came we strapped.” Been a killer, niggas act like I can’t relapse just sounds so evil.
“Out here you either a bum or a cheddar chaser, they say you froze with that cannon you a hesitater. Monte on his way home, go and tell the haters. He only got one more year, like 11th graders. The trap slap so hard, used to scare the neighbors, but there ain’t shit in that bitch just scales and razors, too much money to count, had to scale the paper, I’m the man in my city, I’ll tell the mayor.” Oh my God I feel like I need to go outside and take a break/cool down for a few minutes after I listen to this. Boog really is one of the best in the game right now.
Rockin’ Rolla x Chris On Tha Beat – Different Time
Been bumping a whole bunch of Rockin’ Rolla lately since his last couple of beastly collaborations with Cash Click Boog, dude has been on fire lately. Ray Garraty had also mentioned to me to check out his First Quarter mixtape with Chris On Tha Beat from earlier this year and it knocks. Just more pure brutality from Chris On Tha Beat, maybe the hardest producer out right now, and more great verses from Rolla.
“He a fake P, nigga he ain’t got the strap he tryn’a fake me. Nigga ain’t got the strap trying to catch my bluff, before I whip that bitch out and start waking him up”
Just wanted to take a moment to point out that trying to ‘fake out’ Rockin Rolla like you have a strap when you don’t seems like an absolutely terrible idea. This seems like an astoundingly low-upside, high-downside move. It’s probably a bad strategy in general, but particularly with Rockin’ Rolla of all people? Isn’t there an easier person out there you could try it with?
Rockin’ Rolla not taking any losses to fake P’s out here.
OH MY GOD CML is just absolutely knocking everything out of the park right now. This man can’t be stopped. Is there anyone more consistent right now?
I want to be invited to one of Lav’s pool parties. Is that an A-Wax sighting at 0:32? I guess they’re still down! I can’t decide if A-Wax would be a great guest to have at a pool party or a really bad guest; I feel like there’s a very wide range of potential outcomes there.
“I’m a big dog like a Great Dane, if you ain’t never caught a body Blood you can’t hang, run a nigga over like a freight train, all we do is set trip and gang bang.”
Lav crushes this hook, one of my favorites of the year “I’m real and you know that, I’m everywhere the dough at, Benz outside all black like Kodak, Big Bank Hank Cash Money I can show that, broke ass niggas’ pockets flatter than a doormat,” it’s that perfect but rarely-achieved balance of hard and catchy, and his troll-ish dance just makes it even better.
I believe this beat from D-Rok is the same D-Rock who did some of the beats for those great Juvie and Birdman songs from earlier this year so it looks like CML is getting the investment from Cash Money. If the rap game was like fantasy football and I was managing CML I would keep pushing this angle all day. This beat is wild with the flute and CML just floats over it like he’s swerving through the Everglades on a fanboat.
I usually hubmly consider myself one of the foremost purveyors of all things CML but I somehow missed this one at first, but thankfully my fellow connoseiur of all things Lavish D Onmi Erstig caught it and filled me in! It’s a tough call because there’s a lot of choices but I would officially add this in to my top 3 Lav songs of all time, along with the hard-to-argue-with classic Speak My Mind and the more recent slap Demons.
Cash Click Boog ft. Rockin Rolla – Southwest Gangin
Even more heat from Cash Click Boog, one of the nicest in the game right now. I don’t know who did this beat but it’s nasty. Perfect type of production for Boog/Rolla, they absolutely float over this. “Paid the bouncer 200 just to get the rifle in, can’t leave without the strap that’s the life we live.”
“Instead of doing 9 to 5 buddy doing 5 to 10, I ain’t handing out no deal take this dime for ten.”
Boog’s shirt is fire; equally at home in the trap or at an art gala. I’m usually not a fan of these shoulder bags some of these rappers are rocking now but I’m not going to tell Boog that when you’re Boog you can rock whatever you want.
Rolla is stepping over the bodies of the lyrical myrical rappers, “I be coming off the head ’cause writing easy.” It would be hilarious to see him get into that lane and just put all those guys to shame. I love Rolla’s attitude “Where they count on me to lose, I’ma show they ass.”
That Oakland tattoo with the guy with the bandana and the bags of money is super intense.
“Rolla hit me on the phone what’s the deal with it, I done lost some but I deal with it, don’t be talking bout them murders we kill witness, all these Percs in my system I feel different, Southwest that’s west Oakland the real Richmond.”
Boog and Rolla have just been lining them up and knocking them down lately, maybe my new favorite tag team in the game. I finally checked out Rockin Rolla’s most recent solo tape and he’s got some joints on there too. We need a whole album of collabs from these guys at this point, with Chris On The Beat and whoever made this beat handling production.
Cash Click Boog, ChirsOnTheBeat ft. Rockin Rolla – Tapout
I wanted to see what my guy Cash Click Boog has been up to lately since I haven’t heard him in a little while since my big Gang In Here kick earlier this summer; this is from a month ago but I’m liking what I’m hearing here. Pretty much exactly what you want to hear from Boog over typically harsh ChrisOnTheBeat production that’s perfect for all these Bay/Detroit guys. I love Boog’s voice (pause! pause!), definitley one of the most unique in rap.
Boog is sounding like every old, grumpy suburban dad here when kids are playing outside near their car; “Tipped the valet at the door told him grab my whip, I’ll put my foot in your ass if you scratch my shit”.
Another hightlight is Boog bluntly telling the squares to get out of his way – “Nigga shut the fuck up if you ain’t making flips, on the plane with a roll I had to take a risk”
From what I gather from features etc. it seems like Rockin Rolla is one of Boog’s top right-hand men. I like his name Rockin Rolla it has me picturing a greaser from the 50s or an Elvis type instead of a rapper. But Rockin Rolla quickly puts that notion to bed because he comes out firing here – “Boog I’m tired of niggas saying all this hating shit, take a trip with 10 bags that’s a baby trip, I just bought a Draco with a baby Kick… Southwest we the army and the navy bitch.” I’ve got to check out Rockin Rolla’s solo stuff because I like what I’m hearing from him.
Cheers to ChrisOnTheBeat for putting his name as one of the artists now instead of just a producer credit in parentheses at the end of the title. I’m definitley a fan of this guys’ menacing production. Bonus points to Boog for holding up the pool stick like a chop when he raps ‘If I gotta up the shhhhhhh’
THIS is the type of song I want to hear for new music from a legend with three decades in the game. Rising up above the circumstances to not only grow but blossom in a hostile environment.
“They outed me doubted me didn’t want me to flourish, I come from the ghetto where we was famished, malnourished. When people first heard me they thought that I was a fluke, but I’m a real nigga like Kunta Kintae from Roots. I’ma keep running even without any shoes.”
“Broken towel racks and bullet tissue holders, used to keep the bacon fat up in a can of Folgers, and if the heater ain’t working and it’s freezing cold? We open up the oven and turn on the stove.”
I’m absolutely loving E-40’s verse it’s low-key one of my new favorites; Simultaneously inspiring, reminiscent and defiant. I love his tone and flow/cadence on it whether it’s the affectation on ‘keep running without any shoes’ or the way he raps ‘We open up the oven and turn on the stove’ like he’s answering a question. The Kunta Kinte line and the part about how he keeps running even without shoes is just too fucking real. I wish it was a little longer!
As soon as I saw that Practice Makes Paper was out and browsed the tracklist, this was the first song I jumped to as it seemed like the most interesting combination of features and it did not disappoint. (And I’ve got to hand it to 40, he did a really good job of putting together some interesting features on this album and some unexpected combinations of artists, i.e. Tee Grizzley and Rod Wave, or putting together an all-star team of Detroit hustlers with Payroll, Peezy and Sada Baby. Some people don’t like when an artist has too many features and guest appearances on his solo album but I for one love it; variety is the spice of life, and when done organically, it’s interesting to see who artists you like are listening to and who they respect). I like that he tapped Rexx Life Raj for the hook here and I look Raj’s take on it. Raj is great with these types of reminiscent more serious songs, i.e. his verse and hook on my song of the year for last year. The Boosie verse wasn’t one of his all-time highlights or anything like that but I’m never opposed to hearing some new Boosie.
As a side note, elsewhere on the album, I have to salute E-40 for his ‘I keep a stick like Moses’ line; at this point in time rappers have made so many references to staying strapped that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find original ways of saying it but comparing yourself to Moses is definitely a new and inventive way to do it. And lastly let’s all take a step back to appreciate E-40l this guy has stayed strong in the game for over 30 years now and has done it his own way the whole time. It’s been a good year for 50+ year old West Coast rappers between E-40 and Suga Free.
People use phrases like spitting knowledge/dropping knowledge/dropping jewels or ‘putting us onto game’ pretty loosely these days when a rapper talks about any type of life advice or (usually) financial advice in a song i.e. someone like a Rick Ross talking about investing or stacking up for a rainy day etc. But E-40 takes it to a whole new level in ‘Bet You Didn’t Know’ because the ENTIRE SONG IS JUST E-40 DROPPING KNOWLEDGE.
After the first two points, I was kind of like ‘Alright, I see where this is going, it’s going to be a political/socially conscious song from E-40’ but then I did not see the third point coming at all ‘You can bring your own bottle of wine and pay the corkage fee in the restaurant. You can have your own wine locker and you don’t have to pay the corkage fee in the restaurant.’ Not what I was expecting but nonetheless helpful advice for those who don’t know. After that, E-40 really blindsides us by schooling us (in order) on some grammar, anatomy and the corporate structure of Volkswagen as the crowd behind him implores him to ‘Teach, teach, teach’ and encourages him to ‘Drop gems on them’ over and over again. From there, it’s a pretty wide-ranging cornucopia of topics, from the genuinely useful and insightful like helping your kids build their credit and quite a bit of health is wealth advice to less applicable in daily life such as ‘A maggot morphs into a fly, a caterpillar is a butterfly’. There’s quite a bit of animal talk (my favorite of which would have to be ‘A dolphin can beat a shark’) and religious musings. (By the way is it just me or does the ‘glass of wine a day keeps the heart attacks away’ sound like a credo you would see on like some wooden wall art from Walmart in a middle-aged woman’s kitchen? Then again based on the name of my site I guess who am I to judge).
The beat is actually fairly fire too. In short, 30 yeas into his career E-40 is still one of the most colorful and unpredictable characters in the rap game. Elsewhere on the album E-40 makes references to everything from Moses to Ashley Graham. There are quite a few highlights on Practice Makes Paper that I want to get to on here but I felt like I had no choice but to address this one first!
PINK CHARDONNAY 