Damjonboi X Coach Joey ft. Allstar JR, TLG Deuce – Catch Up
I was surprised when this came up on my ‘Your Top Songs of 2019’ playlist because I didn’t expect that it was one of my favorite most/heavily listened to songs, but then I realized that it comes on after ‘7 Mile Zoo’ on the mixtape it was on which I was listening to a lot in the spring/summer and I guess I just let it keep playing. In any case I hadn’t taken much note of it at the time but now that I’m hearing it again I’ve given it a new lease on life and I’ve been bumping it all weekend.
My favorite part of this whole thing is Damjonboi’s ‘Red bandana hanging out my pocket. Your bitch came to my hood she thought she was in Bompton.’ Note the ummatched efficiency and economy of Damjonboi’s boast here – “Your bitch pulled up to my hood she thought she was in Bompton.’ In just that one short sentence, Not only has he established that he’s a blood (and in a heavily blood neighborhood nonetheless) – he’s also a blood that’s stolen your girlfriend and she’s coming to his hood to see him.
Big Fenc ft. Rio da Yung OG, Dink, Sid Dawg – Can’t Fall Off
Obviously this site has been the ‘All Rio All the Time’ 24/7 Rio Da Yung OG coverage channel lately (and rightfully so!), so of course I scoped out this video out to see the Rio verse. But every now and then when you click a video just to hear the artist you want to hear you end up being blessed with an all-time gem from a bunch of other guys you’ve never heard of.
Flint Michigan linking up with Kalamazoo Michigan for one of the dopest songs I have heard in a long time. I’m loving the fuzzy-sounding production of the beat. From the hook, to the production/sample to all 3 verses, everything about this song is on point – Even just the overall message of refusing to fall off. This is real hustle music.
“Bitch I’m the big homie, I can put you on, and I can get a nigga offed if he try to do me wrong” might be one of the hardest lines I’ve ever heard, there’s not much to it but it just sounds so hard. (Big Fenc looks intense, I definitely would not want to ‘do him wrong’ and get on his bad side).”
The hook from Sid Dawg is godly. “Bitch I can’t fall offffff, I’m so up right now, I can throw it all right now. Niggas wanna shine like me, but they can’t grind like me, I can’t fall off”. This hook has me feeling motivated. (I’m feeling the Charles Barkley Rockets jersey too).
Dink’s verse is so dope and just has so much heart. I love the resilience of ‘Bitch I can’t fall off, as long as the stove on, big timer motherfucker I get my roll on.’
‘Bangin’ stone after stone that boy in go mode, gettin cream off that ice nigga, Cold Stone.”
And then Rio comes in as the closer throwing 105 MPH heat. “Nigga up the strap on me and bust he gon die shooting, grip the Glock while I grip the wheel I can drive it and shoot it”
“Bitch I can’t fall off I know I said it once, real hustle – I can’t find the Runts I’m bagging Reggies up”
“I can get a bag gone in Kalamazoo, doggie said he want some horse tranquilizer met him at the zoo.”
“My nigga Euro keep a laptop he be hacking computers.”
Does Rio ever take a break? No he does not. He’s putting on the whole state here.
The Michigan winter is cold but all 4 of these dudes (not to mention the producer) are firing on all cylinders and bringing some absolute flames.
*Spoiler Alert – I think at this point it’s between Can’t Fall Off and a certain CML song for song of the year on my year end list, with perhaps a dark horse or two still in the mix
Bericcus ft. Rio da Yung OG – Got Testers
This is like the 4th time in a row Rio has linked up with someone I’ve never heard of and made it into pure heat. Rio has the Midas touch except that everything he touches turns into flames. I was actually going to post a different song today but then I saw that this came out today and I was just too hyped about Rio’s verse not to post it instead. My man Ray Garraty is going to have to make another addition to his Rio loosies mix or maybe just wait for a volume 2 soon because this guy never stops. Rio is just relentless – who else can rap like this –
“I just linked up with BC, I ain’t have no cut I hit the powder with some BC, slick nigga, I put the play on Unc they say I’m greazy, .22’s bounce through your body like a P3 (?), back to back to back when we drink red got it on repeat, put your glasses on I’m bout to shoot the Glock in 3D, hit the button, shoot for 20 minutes this an EP, I just bought another pint from my Titi, my nigga doing life he said he good he need a TV, my Arab bought a zip that nigga rich he own a BP.”
One of the nicest verses/lines I’ve ever heard.
Bericcus sounds like he could be a feared Roman emperor with that name and he has a couple of nice lines here too; “Dodging potholes it’s just me and Ri, real shooters follow niggas home just like TMZ.” That OG Memphis Grizzlies jersey is tough. And I like that these Detroit/Flint rappers are bringing back Timbs.
RMC Mike ft. RLSG KD – What’s Love
Didn’t even get a chance to post this during the month but this RMC Mike interpretation of ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ from his ‘Rookie Season’ tape from earlier this year is just too smooth. “Your daddy got knocked out by a fiend ’cause he served him shake.”
RLSG KD kicking some knowledge at the end about not being TOO customer-friendly. This is one field where the old adage ‘the customer is always right’ does not apply.
CML – Drip Drop
Always-reliable CML getting some of that Cash Money, D-Rock production, and floating over it as you would expect. CML’s hooks are always good enough to find yourself singing along to. “Drip drop, I’m on the tip top, Super Bowl ring with the wrist watch.” I never get tired of rappers comparing their rings to Super Bowl rings.
“Put a rapper in a bag like a gift shop”
Kanye West – On God
What can I say, this is actually fire. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Pierre Bourne snapped on this beat. No feature from Joel Osteen unfortunately but maybe next time. Kanye rides out on this.
ShittyBoyz – Lamb Chops
These guys really, really don’t tolerate any delays or mistakes from restaurant staff, as evidenced in the chorus here and throughout the rest of their catalogue. A little bit of a departure from their usual more upbeat, freestyle-type production but they go hard over this more bleak, dark type of beat. “SB we the hottest in the universe, hit the runts now I’m blade dancing up on Jupiter”
Allstar JR ft. Overlord Scooch – Coutnted Last Night
‘Counted Last Night’ from Allstar JR and one of my all-time favorite rap names Overlord Scooch is just so damn smooth. JR and Scooch both making an appearance for the first time in quite a while on this site going back to last winter. From Allstar JR’s ‘Get a Bag or Go Home 2’ project form this summer. I feel like I could sleep on silky sheets of this sax sample.
Big Colin x Rio da Yung OG – Ghetto Boys
This beat from 1800it is so fucking cold. Even Rio’s young bols are snapping.
It feels refreshing to see someone embrace ‘Big’ as the prefix to their rap name with all these ‘Lil’s’ running around out there.
No homo but I’m kind of feeling this dude Big Colin’s voice. That ‘Drakeo hold 100 like two 50-pound dumbells’ line is so hard.
“2400 that can get you a bow sale, we ain’t breaking shit down we mailing it wholesale.”
“Police hit my crib, and I was madder than a bitch, it was God on my side them bitches didn’t find my stick, they done fucked up my crib tryna find them zips like I told you once befor we ain’t breaking down shit!” I absolutely love the part at the end where Rio/Colin’s whole crew yells along with Colin as he raps that last line, ‘Like I told you once before we ain’t breaking down shit!’
ShittyBoyz Babytron ft. Allstar JR – Bag Szn
BabyTron and JR over some more of that dope freestyle production that Crimedawgbylaw has been talking about. JR making not just one but two appearances on the list this month! “Left the Glock at the crib? I’ma throw a bomb” just sounds so damn resourceful. I love the “I rap and I punch, Def Jam Vendetta” line Babytron really keeps quotable after quotable up his sleeve.
Rio da Yung OG x Lil E – Touchdown
I’m not sure if this is even a song so much as it’s a conversation between two veterans in the game over a nice beat, but either way, it goes hard and Rio da Yung OG and one of his many cohorts, Lil E, trade some serious bars over ‘Touchdown”. This is off of a new joint project ‘Professional Shit Talking’ with Rio and Lil E, right after Rio also just put out his ‘2 Faced’ tape. I also heard Rio mention somewhere that he has another new project coming out soon called “City on my Back.” Rio’s work ethic is unmatched, he’s like the rap games John Henry, a man outpacing the machines.
“My lil niggas want to kill some opps, I told em stand down.” Lil E is like a wise general, prudently showing some foresight and restraint; playing the long game in the trenches, giving good advice to his young hotheads and telling them to cool down. Frankly the world would probably be a better place if we had more Lil E’s. Between that and “Invest all our money in real estate, fuck a bust down,” I feel like Lil E is one of the most sensible men in rap. And may I just add, it feels refreshing seeing a rapper rocking a hoodie of a local sports team (and a gritty, nasty one at that in Michigan State) instead of some overpriced effeminate-looking designer hoodie.
I loved the “I just dodged a fed case I gotta crack a smile” line, who could argue with that?
“The police hit the crib two times, we bought some more houses”
Rio just goes crazy on this as always; “I got on sandals cooking dope at my hoe’s house, you know this shit finna be good I got my toes out.” So relaxed.
“.308 bullet this bitch’ll go through 4 houses”.
“When I was young I went skating ’cause the hoes was out, I pulled a strap out at the rink and made them roll bounce”. Rio is the grimiest.
ShittyBoyz Babytron ft. Lil Yachty – Lost It
Even more synthy freestyle production with from Babytron, this time featuring, surprisingly, Lil Yachty. I certainly wasn’t expecting Lil Yachty to be a feature on Babytron’s project and in all honestly I was not expecting to post a song with Lil Yachty on this site in 2019 but here we are. His voice/flow actually adapt pretty nicely to this type of song. Alright Lil Boat I see you out here.
It almost feels crazy to write a ‘top 10 songs of December 2017’ after just doing a top 50 songs for the year 2017 but there’s just too much going on right now to skip it. This month had new albums from Shy Glizzy and Lil Boosie, a new mixtape from Lil Wayne that was more interesting in theory than practice, a couple new albums from some of Detroit’s lovely ladies like Molly Brazy and Cuban Doll, and was capped off with ‘The Gift’ from FMB DZ. As you can see below I’m still on my Detroit grind right now with a couple of tracks by longtime favorites making some heavy, profound music (and an unexpected rainbow-haired interloper) mixed in.
Sada Baby – Free 80’s
“Real nigga look me in my eyes, I ain’t fake at all.”
While December was an amazing month for new music with new albums from heavyweights like Shy Glizzy and Lil Boosie to Sada Baby’s fellow Detroit native FMB DZ, I don’t think I listened to any song more times on repeat this month than ‘Free 80s’. There’s just something about the swagger and veneer that Sada brings to the track that makes this song compelling, more so than any specific line or lyric. Taylor Greer of Fake Shore Drive described it best, saying “The truth is, Detroit is in a league on their own, and has been for some time. The artists and music that you hear in the city, provide a glimpse into a culture surrounded by ingenuity and preserved by the hustle. So when you hear artists like Sada Baby or 80’s spit, just know you’re not just hearing lyrics over a beat — you’re actually hearing the ingenuity of the artist’s hustle.”
I love the cameo from FMB DZ in the video when Sada Baby mentions him (making multiple appearances on this songs of the month list even when he’s not actually in the song!) supporting his fellow Plymouth Road rapper, as well as the cameo from Tee Grizzley’s chain.
The vest with no shirt under it combination does not work for most people and I certainly wouldn’t dare try to pull it off but Sada just has so much swag he’s able to pull it off and override any concerns that the average person would have when rocking that look. (Now I’m not saying I want this to spark a trend, let’s keep it to just Sada for now).
“I won’t talk about no shit that I don’t know bout. If that chopstick ain’t on me I don’t go out.”
“I’m an east side nigga with a roll on me. I can’t say none of my niggas ever told on me. They won’t ever let no other niggas roll on me. Big face (???) type of niggas never fold on me. Tooda Man gon do what’s right if you act wrong on me. He done killed a nigga if he swung on me. Know I kill a nigga if he swung on me. Bang bang close range I got blood on me. Step on the work like it’s a motherfucking rug. I can’t talk to nobody unless I’m off my drugs.” (I love the look that Tooda Man grills the camera with when he’s mentioned in the verse).
“I’m in Cali you niggas at home want to trade places? I’m just out here facing, stacking, yelling free 80s!”
“Burberry shirt cost an ounce of cookie, young Skuba Steve different type of rookie. Monkey nuts everywhere the wop look like Jumanji.”
The ‘Free 80’s’ title and chorus are in reference to Eastside 80s, an imprisoned Detroit rapper. All of the current wave of Detroit rappers go hard but Sada Baby also adds in a twist of personality and humor along with some wierd flows and wordplay to give him a style all his own. No one else besides him could pull off a red ranger Power Ranger tattoo and actually make it look kind of dope. I’m in the middle of listening to his new mixtape ‘Dat One Nigga’ right now and should have a couple of highlights from it up here soon. Sada Baby already ‘blew up’ in 2017 but I think we’re going to be seeing him everywhere in 2018.
I’m tempted to say that no rapper had a bigger/better 2017 than FMB DZ or burst onto the scene with more of a bang.
A perfect Yuletide gift indeed from a gun-wielding, Buffs-sporting Santa Clause…
“Nigga ain’t my man if he ain’t riding with me, I fuck with the BandGang I got Mas with me. My nigga (?) got a sleeve and a 550, I got popped I could have died I had God with me. A nigga gotta die if a nigga want beef. Free my nigga 80’s I’m good in the East. You know this bitch a classic with Ant on the beat. Niggas know that I’m gonna shoot so they pass it to me.”
“You’ve got guns I got guns we can shoot it out. I’m aiming for a nigga’s head I ain’t killing clouds. Lord forgive me always been a wild child, two FNs and two chopsticks cost me five thou. Nigga telling me I’m next bitch I’m up now, I’m in Houston making plays bitch I feel like Yao.”
“Put a nigga on your block so we can find the house, firebomb will chop y’all down while you’re running out”
I ended up lazily forgetting to put together a top 20 mixtapes/albums to go along with the top 50 tracks of 2017 that I did a couple of posts ago, but it’s safe to say FMB DZ would be on the list twice this year; once for The Gift and once for Washington DZ.
Shy Glizzy – Take Me Away
From the previous post…
The Glizzy Gang head honcho has a knack for these heavy but melodic songs like this that focus mainly on death and what people will be saying when he’s gone/what type of legacy you leave behind, i.e. this one and 2015’s ‘Funeral’, which was previously Glizzy’s finest work in my opinion. ‘Take Me Away’ is the standout track from his recent ‘Quiet Storm’ album and may challenge Funeral for his career best so far.
I love the montage setting the mood in the beginning of the video, with the random, dispassionate shots of Glizzy’s hood (the overgrown back alleys behind apartment buildings, clotheslines, staircases, the D.C. skyline off in the distance, a police helicopter circling overhead, guys posted up on the corner) interspersed with him walking in the rain and waiting in his house with police sirens outside the window. The cold, sobering beat goes perfect with it. I’m certainly no expert on this type of thing but the intro is A+ cinematography. It really feels like the calm before the storm.Even the title ‘Take Me Away’ goes perfectly with this vibe.
From a fashion perspective, I’m not sure if I’m feeling the Supreme umbrella but those Georgetown Hoyas shorts are fire. Bonus points since he’s representing DC AND because I looked for them online and couldn’t even find them so a rare gem indeed. (Another side note – Lightshow also had a song called ‘Burberry Umbrellas’ recently. What’s with these DMV-area rappers and high-end designer umbrellas?).
The chorus is simple but hits hard – ‘If the streets take me away, a real nigga I die.” He’s come to terms with the fact that he can die any day in the environment he’s in and while he’ll survive at all costs at least if he dies he feels like he never caved in or folded and no one can say he wasn’t ‘real.’ It’s a steadfast but sobering message and I would imagine this song was probably influenced by the recent death of 30 Glizzy.
Allstar JR ft. Steven B the Great – Felony Warrant
Monster verse by Allstar JR out of Detroit over a nice raw instrumental; this song comes out firing. I love these types of beats.
“Look how the feds gettin my dog boxed with them, took them to a bench trial, they gave him 20, now he looking for a pen pal, called home all he said was this shit wild. All my niggas got fed cases, single parents raised them to be some headcases.”
“Remember I was riding in stolies, free Bud he a savage he would shoot at the police.” (And of course its ‘po-lice’ in that midwest accent so it rhymes with stolies).
I like the cartoonishly over the top ‘Skrrt skrrt’ adlibs someone screeches out while the Hellcat is doing donuts in the parking lot.
Also, I’m probably too broke to credibly pull it off but I’m also feeling the satin Richie Rich jacket he’s rocking
PINK CHARDONNAY 