Joey Purp is down with Chicago's SaveMoney collective, and for my bread, he's the best rapper of a bunch that includes Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. I was a believer after hearing him dismantle Thelonious Martin's production on Wunderkid's "Purp Interlude" and "Purp Outro." And I'm even more on board after hearing Purp's impressive debut, iiiDrops, which features this dope single with Chance. The tape doesn't disappoint, and one track in particular, "Godbody"—which happens to be produced by Martin—hit me in the face like dipping your face into a bag of dank Sour Diesel.
The beat sounds like a blacksmith hitting an anvil as he makes the sword that's destined to unite the seven kingdoms. And that's not even the sickest part about the track. Joey Purp loses his mind for two disgusting verses as he makes a convincing argument for how poppin' he is. "Muhammad with the stick and move, the Godbody only speak the truth/I'm popping like Polo tags in '98," he raps.
His effort on the first verse is especially special, so we chose it for Best Rap Verse of the Month.
"Them niggas selling to them undercovers
That's uncool like your mother's brother
Make my bitches touch each other
My niggas caught cases, all we known for pie shaving
All my plugs is Caucasian, smoke until my eyes Asian
Send a batch of beats, I send you back a masterpiece
Might buy a chain that look like it was made for Master P
I'm in the dojo where the masters meet, talk is cheap
Whispers in the congregation, watch the pastor preach
Been a problem now I'm more focused
That Maserati pull up make your Beemer look like it's a Ford Focus
In the retail, hard to explain the details
Thousand dollar deposit sitting on dope and emails
Tim Allen highkey is gripping tools
Dip from 12 like I'm in Air Maxes, I get up out my Yeezy Boosts
My watch circa season two
Muhammad with the stick and move, the Godbody only speak the truth
I'm popping like Polo tags in '98
Six shipments, six addresses
I charge it to the game
Double cut sippin' paint dropping off the Caddy frame
Two-tone whip change colors, I call it Charlemagne
Kill for your brothers, if they do the same
Switch cities, switch phone numbers, but we move the same
Switch bitches, switch locations and watch these niggas change
There is not a stain on my Forces, but it's a dirty game"
"Two-tone whip change colors, I call it Charlamagne" is the line that did it for me. Remember when the New York radio host's skin changed color due to a medical condition? The way Purp handles this hectic beat proves he's ready to be considered one of rap's elite lyricists. Let's see what the future holds for the Windy City MC. Hopefully, a full-length project with Thelonious at the helm is in that crystal ball somewhere.
