Welcome to the August edition of Bout to Blow. This column has two goals:
1. To use the many tools available today to get some idea as to which songs are really bubbling with "the people"—in other words, to insert some science into the process.
2. To contextualize that information, because numbers in a vacuum will have you thinking an anonymous rapper dropped onto a stellar track was hip-hop's next big rap star when he was more like an empty, tattooed vehicle for a dope beat and a hook.
The post is obviously intended to be somewhat predictive. There's also an element of cheerleading, too. Many of these songs might be flourishing in certain markets and could use wider exposure. They're tracks where the metrics suggest some forward momentum, even if the clubs and radio play don't reflect that. After a harsh decision-making process, for July we narrowed a long list down to the 10 best records you have to know.
It's this month's edition of Bout to Blow: 10 Dope New Songs You Should Be Hearing Everywhere Soon.
Payroll Giovanni "How We Move It" f/ HBK, Roc, B Ryan
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Flipping an obvious sample is a risky maneuver. Sometimes it works because enough time has passed that the sample is only obvious to those who've aged out; this was Puff Daddy's MO. (See also: Ski Mask the Slump God's "Catch Me Outside," which mangles Missy Elliott's "She's A Bitch" and ends up flanking his underground peers with dynamic production.)
Other times, though, it makes more sense to just jump on the grenade.
That's the angle Payroll Giovanni (with a major assist from chorus singer B. Ryan) takes with this flip of eternal club classic "This Is How We Do It." "How We Move It" manages to make a well-worn record sound fresh again by subverting its subject matter. Detroit artists have lately sought to bridge the divide between a parochial local sound and a national one using '90s pop records—see also Sada Baby's "Return Wit My Strap" and Allstar Lee's "Fresh Prince of Brick Mile." This partly explains why the records don't feel corny, as they might in other hands: the sound exists in such contrast to the rest of rap as a whole that efforts to find common ground without compromising in terms of lyrics, subject matter, or tempo opens them up to the outside world.
Brielle Lesley "As Long As" f/ Payroll Giovanni
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Brielle Lesley is a Detroit artist mainly known for R&B—her slow jam "Karma" is approaching a million views. Perhaps it's her history with R&B that makes her approach to Detroit's familiar uptempo bangers refreshing, like a modern version of Ester Dean's performance on Gucci's "I Think I Luv Her." That R&B angle might also explain lyrics that are more generalized than specific and memorable, but the line about how she doesn't need a man because she can get a puppy is liable to stand out. She steals the show from her more well-known guest star.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again "Left Hand Right Hand"
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For fans of YoungBoy Never Broke Again (formerly NBA YoungBoy) this may be a hard sell at first. Musically it's more reminiscent of the sound Kevin Gates tackled on his 2016 album Islah than the mix of Baton Rouge country rap tunes and reflective rap ballads that make up most of YB's strong new tape AI YoungBoy. But it's not hard to imagine this record—like "2 Phones" before it—breaking through given the right push. It's not the most human moment on the tape, but it does stand apart as an aggressive club hit.
Lil Durk and Lil Reese "Distance"
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Since drill broke through in the early 2010s, the rest of rap has come to reflect much of its topical and textural qualities. Yet many of the first-wave artists have remained just out of the mainstream kleig lights (though they're still major cult street figures). "Distance" is one of the hardest records to come from Lil Durk or Lil Reese in years, with a piano-laced beat from Chopsquad and a staccato counterpoint in Reese combining for a record that leaves as much unsaid as spoken, describing street dynamics and leaving details below the surface.
Key Glock "Dig That"
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Young Dolph's latest Paper Route Empire artist has some of that Dolph swag, but his "Dig That" record has something about it that stands apart—mainly, a hook inspired by Project Pat's Memphis classic "Gorilla Pimp."
24hrs "What You Like" f/ Ty Dolla Sign and Wiz Khalifa
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When DMV rapper (and MadeInTYO's brother) Royce Rizzy reinvented himself as 24Hrs a little over a year ago, I was instantly skeptical, thinking the name and reliance on ambiance-driven album art suggested he was an image-driven fashion rapper. Turned out it was quite the opposite: he's a clear melodic prodigy, a real studio rat with a strong, consistent vocal style and distinct melodic sense. With Ty Dolla Sign, a similarly craft-minded auteur, and Wiz Khalifa, who's graduated from rapper to musical connoisseur and gatekeeper, he has the perfect collaborators for this slab of after-party future-funk.
Gunna "Phase"
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Though Young Thug's recent album Beautiful Thugger Girls didn't make quite the impact some might have hoped, he's continued to inspire others—including those in his own camp. Gunna's Drip Season 2 tape has been getting heavy rotation at street level, building on the melodic subtlety that made Young Thug such an arresting stylist. Though my personal favorite from the tape is the bass-driven "Belly of the Beast," "Phase" is the one that's begun to take off underground and promises to get much bigger.
Tay K "The Race"
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His absurd and disturbing backstory, which you can read about here, has helped propel this rapper into the spotlight, certainly. And there will be no shortage of cultural critics claiming its the only reason people care. But it's undeniable Tay K is a memorable, talented rapper, whose tragic backstory shouldn't have needed to be the reason he grabbed the spotlight.
His youthful voice contrasts with the hard brutality of his lyrics in a way that recalls Eazy E—who gets a shout-out on his similarly strong "I Love My Choppa." "The Race" has a bright sound, which pulls against its dark context, has also become a proven template for many other artists—Rico Nasty, Lud Foe, Rico Recklezz, Trill Sammy, and too many more have all recorded versions of it, further evidence that its appeal exceeds his outlaw status.
Rae Sremmurd "Perplexing Pegasus"
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Rae Sremmurd's hip-hop art-pop reaches a new level of subtle, dreamlike ambiguity on the hypnotic "Perplexing Pegasus." Their increasing level of abstraction suggests an intense level of confidence in the group's ability to retain their audience the further they drift, and appealing quality in any rap artist.
Lil Baby "My Dawg"
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The distinct timbre of its production and Lil Baby's relaxed, subtly melodic rap style shifts suddenly from pride to mournfulness, suggesting layers of emotional resonances between the lines.
