Icewear is feeling himself here, one of the best verses I’ve heard from him. I was listening to a bunch of Icewear probably about 4-5 years ago or maybe even earlier before he got locked up, I feel like he sort of preceded this current wave of Detroit rappers who have now gotten more popular, I haven’t really checked out most of his recent stuff but saw he just did this song with Sada Baby and decided to check it out, glad to see he’s back at the top of his game. Icewear is linking up with Sada Baby, rocking a bandana with a khaki suit which I am definitley in favor of, flowing like a beast, and just reeling off bar after bar like it’s nothing…
“I get higher than a nigga finna go to court. I got fire like a nigga that ain’t go to work. I’m so lit round this bitch I can’t go in stores.”
I def feel you on that last part, Icewear.
“She only tells me she loves me when it’s beneficial, wear my jewelery out in public yeah I been official, nigga touch one of mine and I’m sending missiles”
“A nigga catch me broke, come sign my cast”
“Catch an opp while he lacking I’m an opportunist”
I love Sada Baby’s typically over the top boasting, “We might be the toughest richest niggas in America.” Not only the toughest, or richest, but the toughest and richest.
I love the sheer sense of urgency that DZ is rapping with here in ‘Keep it On Me’ from his new tape ‘The Gift 3’ which essentially serves as a surprisingly heartfelt and effective ode to his strap, showing what a vital part it is of his everyday life and how much he needs it, whether he’s on offense or defense. He just comes out swinging over this beat with such an intensity. It’s obviously a well-traveled theme for rappers, but he still somehow makes it sound original…
“I go to sleep with it, I take a shit with it, I brush my teeth with it, I handle beef with it. I go to the store with it, I get low with it. I take out the trash with it, get on your ass with it. Go to the O with it, go to the K with it, go to the A with it, nigga I stay with it. I hit Miami with it. I was in Collins with it. In the drop with it, ONE IN THE TOP WITH IT.”
Between releasing The Gift 3 and Ape Season (thanks to Ray Garraty for re-recommending this one to me) just in the last few months, FMB DZ is at the top of his game right now.
ShittyBoyz link up with Icewear Vezzo to wish us all a Happy New Year, dropping this bright and early on January 1st 2020. It was only a matter of time before these two movers and shakers of different waves and generations of Detroit rap joined forces, and I have to say, Icewear does not sound out of place on this type of beat and he has no problem keeping up with the ShittyBoyz flow. (By the way, I can’t find my favorite Icewear song from back in the day anymore, I forget the name I just remember it was him rapping with a girl (or maybe even 2 girls?) and he said something about that he’s ‘Still repping Peezy at Sundance’ anyone know what that one was called?).
Lmao @ Stan Will “For all the grannies I jugged, I might burn in hell.” Stan Will actually kind of stole the show on Wheel of Fortune; “On the road for 30 days, and 30 nights, enough punches in this bitch to win 30 fights. Circled through an opp block we hit 30 rights, looking at my future like you staring up at 30 lights”, and “Money on the floor, I’m spinning hoes like it’s Wheel of Fortune, spikes on my toes you a crumb boy you still in Jordans. What you paid for your fit was my bill at Morton’s, even when I’m six feet deep bet I’m still important.”
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.
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!’
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.
I remember this dude Oba Rowland rapping ‘I’ve got diamonds in my Cardis, my girl looks like a Barbie’ from his song ‘Lifestyle’ from five or six years ago kind of before this current tidal wave of newer Detroit guys currently taking over. ShittyBoyz are doing some serious networking (is it just me or does Oba look like he could be their security?) and they’re linking up with him here to rap over some dope freestyle type production.
I actually didn’t even know what freestyle was or that it was a whole genre (I used to hear the word freestyle and think of like Reed Dollaz) but that Crimedawgbylaw post gives a really good description of it and how it’s seeping into the current Detroit sound. Also check out his mix of freestyle classics. I would have never went out of my way to listen to any of this stuff without his recommendation and now I’m loving it. This beat is sick, I think it’s at least loosely sampled from that Amber ‘This is Your Night’ song that goes ‘Da da da da, dit dot delay, dit da delay’? But I could be totally off on that because I have a terrible ear for that. Even if this isn’t a freestyle song per se I feel like it kind of fits into the same landscape production-wise. I would love to hear Rio da Yung OG and RMC Mike glide over a beat like this I feel like they would absolutely kill this.
I love Oba Rowland throwing up his hands at 0:53 during Stan Will’s voice like ‘Hey, I didnt’ say it’. Also on that part lmao @ the sheer unnecessariness of ‘Like a fat Japanese nigga you know I keep the chop.”
BabyTron is just so shameless and brazen with the scam talk! “Scammed the coach that’s really when the sports stopped.”
ShittyBoyz x Rio Da Yung OG x RMC Mike – Jackie Moon
Allow me to paint a picture of perfect serendipity here… you’ve been bumping Rio da Yung OG and RMC Mike all month… You see the holy trinity of Crimedawgbylaw, The Martorialist, Ray Garraty, all rocking with a new artist/group (in this case Shittyboyz)… you dip your toes in the water with ‘Spirit Bomb’ and ‘Simba’ and grow increasingly into what you’re hearing… and then… you see that Rio and Mike linked up with said new artist to collaborate together on a new joint.
(Side note, when you see a formidable triumvirate like Martorialist, Crimedawgbylaw, and Ray Garraty all talking about an artist, you almost feel like it would be foolish not to give them a listen. It would take a greater fool than I.)
It’s sometimes hard to live up to the expectations when you see a song combining two artists you’re feeling and all too often the collaboration falls flat but not the case at all here – this Jackie Moon song is hard as fuck. The beat is nice and sinister and serves as a great backdrop for these guys to trade bars over.
BabyTron acquits himself nicely here, keeping up with one of the best lyrical rappers in the game in Rio and not being outclassed at all. This kid has punchline after punchline in every song I’ve heard so far. I really liked the “That’s a jurassic kill, that means I turned him to a fossil. I’m in church banging this I’m like fuck some gospel” line and the “I’m in both conferences, went to Florida with my Rockets, feel like Jackie Moon I’m in Flint scoring like the Tropics” line. It’s hard to make something about the goofy Will Ferrell character from the forgettable (to put it kindly) Semi Pro movie sound cool but these guys basically just pulled off the impossible. Stan Will also represents himself well; “We on a different wave, Feds tried to hit me with the book we on a different page.” (I love the Avenged Sevenfold tshirt!)
Rio comes out swinging as always; “Flint niggas but we fucking with the ShittyBoyz, 4 Hellcats back to back we the kitty boys, you say you’re dropping who when you see who? You a silly boy. Fuck it I’ma scam a rich bitch I’m a city boy.” I’m not entirely clear on Mike’s ‘I don’t go to sleep when it rain I make rain sleep’ line but I don’t even care because it sounds badass and is exactly something wildly over the top that I’ve come to expect from Mike.
Rio and Mike look like they could be the ShittyBoyz’ muscle. What kid from their high school is going to fuck with them when they see RMC Mike posted up with them?
This run that Detroit/Flint rap is on right now is crazy; every time you think you’ve heard it all and think you might start to get bored someone completely new comes out of the woodwork and gets you excited about it all over again.
I wrote last week about Rio Da Yung OG’s over the top, imaginative take on street rap, and what Ray Garraty described as his inventive and playful approach to familiar themes like drugs and street violence. ‘Let it Breethe’ with his frequent cohort RMC Mike is another great example. He and Mike are like the devils on each shoulders, bringing out the worst in each other (and by worst I mean best) and pushing each other to come up with even wilder and more aggressive lines. When working together, these guys take on an almost Joker-esque love of depravity and chaos.
RMC Mike: “Big bro just cooked a brick but we gonna wrap it later, cuz just bought a new Benz that’s voice activated, bought a zip of uncut soft and sold half to the mayor…Told my mom I sold my first brick she said congratulations, plug pulled up with some Ac in a glass container, took a trip to Texas with big cuz he tried to whack a Ranger”
I love how evil the Ranger line sounds it gets me every time. From what I’m hearing here and in other songs by these guys, Big cuz is a problem. You can’t take this guy anywhere he’s a total wildcard.
Rio: “My Mexican got caught in West End and got his ass deported, I caught a body out a Trail Blazer and took my ass to Portland”
This beat is just so cold and so clean and serves as the perfect blank canvas for these two to paint their wild pictures over. Mike and Rio are like a pair of supervillains ready to sack Gotham.
Ever since Ray Garraty’s post about him a couple of weeks ago I’ve been bumping a ton of Rio Da Young OG. He goes to the same tried-and-true well of streets- and drug game- type subject matter and imagery as other rappers but he just puts such an over the top and almost fanciful spin on them with his boasts and brags that he makes it all his own. (i.e. “On my way to my other crib I just hit a deer, pistol in my hand while I’m rapping, shoot the engineer” from Crystal Clear or “I’m backwards, I’ll take the pint bottle and pour a Sprite in it, just stabbed a nigga in the club and broke my knife in him” here, or “My granny’ll still pop a nigga and she 89, I guess it’s in my jeans, you’ve got a 10 in your safe, that shit in my jeans” on Headache. Or how about “Just got a whole Hellcat wrapped in carbon fiber, niggas better chill before the carbon fire, killed 4 niggas in the whip and set the car on fire” with Peezy (!!!) on ‘Fire’.) I agree 100% with Ray when talks about how Rio’s ‘playfulness’ while sticking with the facts sets him apart and his comparison to Rio being like if MIKE started doing street rap based on his free-flowing, formless stream of consciousness song structure. He hits the nail on the head with his observation that “I think the last time somebody was playing with raw materials of the drug-selling business with such inventiveness was Gucci Mane in the mid-2010s.” This comparison is really apt; I think of even earlier Gucci Mane not just talking about how bright his diamonds are or reaching for an obvious, easy metaphor but talking about how they’re white like Santa Clause’s beard, or instead of just bragging about how much money he has, talking about how ‘white folks think he’s playing for the Falcons.’
“I woke up Friday morning mad, like ‘who I’m shooting?'”
“A nigga wanna ride this wave he need a huge boat. Heart cold, it’s 98 degrees I got on two coats, one day I was finna break down and cry, I was too broke.”
“I’m a grimey nigga, in a rental by myself I don’t ride with niggas. I’m really one of a kind, I ain’t lying nigga, Peezy came to Flint dug up some dirt and found a diamond in it.”
