I posted this one a couple of months back in one of my top 10s; this one was on Peezy’s ‘Balling Ain’t a Crime’ mixtape from last year and then on ‘East Side’ the collaboration mixtape that him and Philthy Rich put out in February. But something about the Herb Alpert ‘Making Love in the Rain’ sample, the subject matter of them talking about growing up and their moms and grandmas, maybe the NBA playoffs being back, and today being Mother’s Day has me feeling super nostalgic and I wanted to put it up because it captures that feeling.
Jim Jones has been putting out some of his all-time finest work lately and I’m glad they tapped him for this one.
“I don’t use pens but let me write about it… I got niggas in the pen doing life about it, niggas that I won’t see again lost their life about it, shit runs deep so I don’t sleep plenty nights about it. All the cold nights that we had no heater, in the lobby pumping white with a cold heater.”
I love the interlude in the middle before Peezy’s verse; “Sometimes shit gets a little rough in life; but you know you gotta stand strong and fight through it all my baby. Shit get greater later.”
Peezy then lays down just a real, heartfelt moving verse…
“Knew I was special when they birthed me, I moved out my mama’s crib at 13. Roaches in the Fruity Pebbles when we go to the eat, you ain’t seen no shit like this in your worst dreams. Moved to my granny’s Crib on the West, she ain’t have a lot but she did her best. Going to school smelling like kerosene, fuck this there gotta be a better way for me. Only East Side nigga in the whole school, I was forced to share clothes with my old dude, hardest times of my life and they got harder too… Life gave me lemons I made lemonade, all they see’s a nigga shining but don’t see the pain.”
Obviously real life is more important than music as I’ve unfortunately had to say a couple of times on this site lately, so I’m just happy Peezy survived the recent shooting for his own well-being, but from a music perspective, I’m hyped he’s going to still be out here making music like this. The first couple of times I heard him he didn’t grab me as a fan right away but as I’ve went through his whole catalogue and listened to him more and more over time he’s become one of my favorites not just out of Detroit but out of current artists in general; he’s amongst the most prolific and productive out of Detroit in terms of sheer volume of releases, he brings that certain motivational sense of hustle and hunger, he has tons of great lines, and he puts a lot of heart and soul into his music. Now we just have to hope that his recent indictments he’s been hit with don’t jam him up and slow down his grind.
P.S. he also just put up this song last week the intro is a little long but he slams this one…
“Will I make it out the streets you will never know, I got court in the morning I don’t want to go. Got some niggas doing life and they on level 4, but they all rooting for me they just hope I blow.”
The album intro ‘Ain’t Fair’ also went hard AF as did the third track, Tied In, which featured an always-welcome verse from FMB DZ and a nice contribution from All Star Lee.
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.
There’s just something hilarious but simultaneously amazing that I can def get behind about a group of otherwise tough-looking grown-ass men yelling about how they’re Kristi Yamaguchi, a petite, female Asian-American figure skater of ’92 Winter Olympics fame. I love how this video just comes out swinging full force, with OuttaTown and his cohorts wasting no time, already rocking out yelling the anthemic chorus as soon as the video starts. I feel like it would have been more convenient and perhaps more macho to just use an NHL player’s name for the chorus/title to serve the purpose of showing how icy they are but using Yamagucchi just makes it even more over the top ridiculous. (One question based on the chorus – why is Yamaguchi ‘what these niggas don’t like’? I feel like she cut a fairly innocuous and uncontroversial public persona). I also like the fact that Yamaguchi sounds kind of like ‘I’m a Gucci’ or at least rhymes with Gucci’s first name.
Also of note… Who is the guy on the right at 0:23???
I love the dance move OuttaTown executes at about 1:05 as he lets you know, “This is real life, this is not a movie. Skating on this ice – KRISTINA YAMAGUCHI” as well as the dramatic shot of him and Gucci marching down the hallway after.
There’s few things better than seeing Gucci make an unexpected cameo in a video with a rapper you’re not expecting to see him with, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Gucci’s sweater game/wardrobe is perhaps more on-point than ever, with this stylish narco-chic sweather with a needlepoint depiction of the Virgin Mary and of course an appropriate amount of icy jewelery befitting a song mainly about how icy he and OuttaTown are.
All comedic value aside, Yamaguchi bumps really hard and is a perfect song to blast from the car. OuttaTown has a nice Gucci-assisted hit here to follow up on his banger 2 Sistas with FMB DZ from a couple of months ago. I first heard this a couple of weeks ago just clicking around and largely forgot about it, but then woke up this morning with the chorus in my head and now I can’t stop listening to it.
FMB DZ comes out firing on ‘All the Smoke’ off of his new mixtape ‘The Gift’ just bringing the heat verse after verse. A perfect Yuletide gift indeed from a gun-wielding Santa Clause who never takes his Cartiers off …
“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”
‘Washington DZ’ was already one of the best mixtapes of the year and now FMB DZ beats the shot clock right before the end of the year and the holidays with another very impressive project under his belt. The Detroit rapper is on a ridiculous run lately, with about a year’s worth of slaps for a normal artist in just the last few weeks, including ‘Back to Back‘ with frequent collaborator Tay B, the Joseph McFashion-compiled ‘Raw 2’ in October to follow up on the success of ‘Raw‘, and ‘On Go’ which is still only a couple of months old. I have to listen to ‘The Gift’ a couple of more times over the next few days but so far it definitley is one of the strongest projects of the year giving FMB DZ two of the top albums/tapes of 2017. I’m looking forward to seeing him keep the pressure up in 2018!
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
Detroit’s FMB DZ is starting to really blow up right now and here he demonstrates why, doing some of his finest work over this silky beat (definitely in the running for best production of 2017). I love the flow and the great lines coupled with all the Detroit-specific references…
“Oh you need a job nigga? Come and sell that cling cling. One spot 3 cell phones and they all ring, If it ain’t about no money bitch it don’t involve me. Had to change my number, weird hoes tryna stalk me, gotta keep that stick can’t let a nigga chalk me”
“Niggas really soft, FMB you fuckin with the boss, I be playing golf, down my way I be ducked off, at Asiancorn beef tell them I need some more duck sauce, go to Au Corant ask them boys how much my Buffs cost”
“Hope you can read between the lines well read these, these red bottoms I got on exclusive you ain’t seen these”
“Used to ride shooters now we pulling up in Porsches now”
Man you can really hear and feel the heart, drive, and spirit of Tee Grizzley on his recent freestyle on the Funk Flex show from a week or so back. I had already become a big fan after ‘First Day Out’ and his debut project ‘My Moment’ but this video here really solidifies it to me that I want to see this guy do well and be a star. You just can’t question his grind, resilience and hunger/determination. Some of the lines in this one hit really hard and you just really feel what he’s saying, aside from being great rap lines/great flow/great rhymes, they’re just deep…
“They still praying on my downfall, I know they praying on my downfall, from the yard to the streets Ima stand tall, 500 100’s on me now, show ’em how to ball, 30 on the Rollie just to shine on the Flex show, that ain’t sh*t I’ma make it back off the next show. In my sleep sweating, brother asking me bro what you stressed for, breathing hard, I had a dream like I was back broke”
After taking the rap world by storm with an out of nowhere, once in a decade type debut viral hit single, and signing with record label 300 Entertainment, it seemed like it was high time for Detroit’s Tee Grizzley to take advantage of the monumental hype and release a full project. He teased out a few singles like the aggressive and high quality ‘Straight to It’ with fellow Detroit residents Band Gang, as well as a collaboration with Lil Yachty, but I’m glad we now have a full release from him as we were left wanting more and I felt like he was just scratching the surface, and its great to see that he is much more multidimensional and versatile than a one hit wonder.
PINK CHARDONNAY 