In case you've missed Twitter, Facebook, or any real music news in the past week or so, it has been a pretty good week for new hip hop releases. The Dreamville crew returns with a couple drops following rumors of the long awaited Revenge Of The Dreamers 3 project soon to be releasing (though still no definite date set), aside from Dreamville, Bas decides to drop his own random loosie (or is it JUST a loosie? Hmmm...), and Drake fulfills his promises of new music after the Raptors win the franchise's first NBA Championship. Check out all of the releases below, with a short explanation/review.
Dreamville Compilation tracks - "Down Bad" and "Got Me"
Is there anything else in hip hop worth talking about right now more than Dreamville's 2 new compilation tracks? Cole and the Dreamville crew made waves on Twitter on June 12th (almost a week ago) after releasing the two tracks above, "Got Me" and 'Down Bad", both featuring several artists, all signees under the Dreamville imprint. Both tracks are sounding extra clean and crispy and adapt much differently to the current hip hop climate, and are sure to raise conversation and excitement moving forward, but if I had to choose between the 2, I personally have to pick "Got Me" as my favorite release of the last week. It's slow burning and deep penetrating bassline hits your ears and your speakers unlike anything could do, unless it was a straight up knife to the chest. Bump this one in the loudest possible speaker system you can find.
Bas ft. JID - Fried Rice
After what many considered the best album of last year (actually just me, literally just me) dropping in late 2018, Milky Way, it is always nice to see an artist like Bas, who always considers quality over quantity, returning with new music. In a song that finds JID shredding a fast paced 2nd verse (has anyone ever talked about how much this guy sounds like Anderson .Paak? No? Alright then) along with Bas' signature awkward, yet somehow-it-always-works-so-well flow, Bas has blessed his fan base with another different style; a rapper of many different traits and flows, a verse chameleon if you will. Definitely worth the listen, especially if you like Bas.
Drake - Money In The Grave (ft. Rick Ross) & Omerta
(*I do not own any of these songs, or the rights to them*)
The Toronto Raptors, for the first time in the franchise's short 24 year history, have beaten the Golden State Warriors to become NBA Champions, and as a somewhat, kinda/sorta Cavs fan (I live in Ohio), I could not be more excited to see the "dynasty" fall another year short. Here's to hoping it lasts, KD leaves for Washington, and Klay realizes his worth and goes somewhere else (I can dream). But the most noteworthy detail (hip hop wise) of the Raptors newfound championship glory is the fact that Drake celebrated the title win by releasing 2 new songs! And I could not be more.... ehh. Don't get me wrong, the songs themselves are decent, I think I like "Omerta" more than "Money In The Grave" (probably because it doesn't attempt to sounding like everything else out), but both songs do not really honestly sound authentic Drake to me, in my humble opinion. And I know I'm just some blogger/writer who types his opinions out on the computer, but that's my 2 cents on the matter. Drake still continues to succeed, and he will as long as he keeps putting some kind/shape/form of music out every year, but me personally, as someone who finds the most enjoyment in hip hop strategy/planning/ consistency in themes; I would like to see Drake put out something that has a bit more bite under it. These 2 songs feel... well, maybe "lifeless" isn't the term, but they don't have that proper Drake edge to them that you would hope for, and all is fun for releasing songs in celebration of your favorite team, but I will say that Drake releases used to feel a lot more... special. Now? Not quite so much. All in all, Drake put out 2 more songs that people will jam to and enjoy, and I can't say that I wouldn't enjoy hearing the songs the next time I attend a party. But will I play them much on my own? Probably not. In terms of quality, pretty good. But in terms of Drake quality? Not as good as hoped. End bitter hip hop/Drake blogger rant.
