Image via Turls
5 On It is a feature that looks at five of the best under-the-radar rap findings from the past two weeks, highlighting new or recently discovered artists, or interesting obscurities.
Turls - 'Young T'
Turls popped up on with “My Plug,” a showcase of the Atlanta rapper’s hypnotic hook writing ability and mesmerizing monotone atop a perfectly suited, bubbling beat from SenseiATL (a young Atlanta producer who still feels underutilized in one of hip-hop’s most vibrant underground scenes).
Almost a year and a half later, Turls returns with impressive, self-produced EP Young T, a project that feels of a piece with Atlanta’s openness towards new sounds and simultaneously separate from other strains of hip-hop running through the city.
“I mean in Atlanta right now, everyone’s making the same shit,” says Turls via email. “Trap beats, hella ad-libs, and all that other shit. I like that but that’s just not me. I’m an artist and I can’t sit be a trendy nigga like everyone else I gotta just be me…Beach House, James Blake, and Wiz Khalifa molded me into the artist I am and I wanted to make something showcasing my production skills as well as my rapping and singing.”
Standout trio “Selfish,” “East Side Stevie” (which features Two-9’s Curtis Williams, Rellajamu, and NEVABITCH), and “Sins,” update the characteristics that made “My Plug” so appealing. Turls’ hook-writing ability and casual, clever contempt make for entertaining listening, particularly paired with the otherworldly, aggressively synthetic sound selection in his beats.
“I think [Atlanta’s] unified as far as the underground goes, everyone fucks with everyone if you’re dope,” says Turls, whose beats feel more of a piece with Young L or AraabMuzik at his sparsest than any producer currently gaining notoriety in hip-hop’s southern mecca. “And I feel like I’m the one who’s bringing a different sound but it bangs and it rides so people will enjoy and accept it in my mind.”
Turls’ inspiration stems from a simple, admirable sentiment: “I want in life is to be a successful black man and show my young ones—even tho I’m 20—that they can be whatever the fuck they want to and to always believe in themselves no matter what anyone says. Clichè but it’s the truth.”
Quadry – 'America, Me'
Image via Quadry
Though Baton Rouge, Louisiana doesn’t have an ostensibly unified scene, it’s the home of one of rap’s new titans, Kevin Gates, and a number of promising up-and-comers, notably Caleb Brown (who’s been featured regularly in 5 On It) and former Daily Discovery Quadry. The latter delivered his debut project America, Me last week, serving up one of the stronger under-the-radar rap releases of the year so far.
America, Me succeeds on impressive cohesion, a combination of Quadry’s consistently sharp raps and primary collaborator Tev’n’s production, a warm mixture of classic boom bap sensibility and modern mixing and textures. Some might remember Tev’n from his self-titled mixtape several years back, a raw, compelling blend of pained, soulful vocals and sparse electronic tracks that felt ahead of its time and has since been pulled from Soundcloud. Tev’n lends rich soundscapes to Quadry’s observations and narratives, most effective on songs like nostalgic “Che Guevara,” propulsive “WeatherMan Rock” (which feels like a lost feature from a Goodie Mob album), and vulnerable late project highlight “Rashid’s Law [Act III].”
“Rashid’s Law [Act III]” serves doubly as an encapsulation of America, Me’s sound and Quadry’s particular honesty and worldly wisdom, delivering an unusually mature sentiment for a modern hip-hop song (or a current song by a man, period). “Please, please Rashid, give her what she need/She couldn’t get it from me,” he raps on the song’s hook, succinctly summarizing an account of a lost love and a transmission to her new boyfriend in hopes he treats her well and fulfills what Quadry couldn’t. Incisive and introspective, “Rashid’s Law [III]” is the sort of song that feels like it could be an early signature if Quadry goes on to have a lengthy career of any measure—a reasonable bet if his ability to craft a comprehensive vision proves a defining characteristic rather than beginner’s luck.
Desi Mo – THE PAWPRINT
Image via Desi Mo
You may recognize Desi Mo’s name from the credits of Vince Staples’ Summertime ’06 (her voice plays sharp female counterpoint to Staples on standout “Get Paid”), but you should get familiar with her as one of the strongest young rappers coming out of the Los Angeles area. True to form, Desi’s THE PAWPRINT is an excellent collection of latter-day L.A. gangsta rap, ride with attitude and incisive street observation.
Desi’s music presents a version of femininity often missing from rap music: Strong and confident, sexual while avoiding excessive explicitness and self-objectification. THE PAWPRINT combats hip-hop’s misogyny by bluntly presenting a portrait of a young woman in control of her image and message, not by purely critiquing said misogyny. It’s a perspective worth noting and one that hopefully pops up increasingly in the work of young female rappers (we see it also in songs and projects from Kamaiyah, Little Simz, Tasha The Amazon, Sampa The Great, and Tierra Whack—a list of talented young women that certainly isn’t exhausted).
THE PAWPRINT exists as a testament to a sentiment Desi expressed when we spoke last week for my piece on the artist’s burden in trying times: “A lot of people may not see [the world] from your perspective, so when you tell it, it gives that listener a chance to see it in that way.” Her story and truth form a political statement in their very existence, a window into a world that listeners might not expect or know exists.
It also doesn’t hurt that Desi can absolutely rap her ass off.
Anoyd – “Altitude”
Image via Anoyd
At times, Connecticut rapper Anoyd feels like a product of another era entirely, a seemingly dedicated student of rap whose focus on technique and personal exploration ties him to tradition in a way that might please classicists more readily than kids lining up outside Supreme waiting to have their caps slapped off by The Ape while the blog rap sensation of the month blares out of their Beats headphones.
“Altitude” shows that Anoyd isn’t wedded entirely to the past in detrimental way; his production palette, his self-deprecation-laced bragging, and his impassioned rapping all point to a product of the modern era, a rapper with an appreciation for the past existing firmly in the present. He’ll likely draw apt comparisons to heroic everymen like J. Cole and his Dreamville cohorts, but Anoyd also seems less devoted to revisiting the sounds of the golden era than he is to drawing inspiration from an age when skill and singularity were primary benchmarks of judgment.
Rich Iyala – “Tic Tac Pack”
Image via Rich Iyala
San Francisco rapper Rich Iyala’s “Tic Tac Pack” is either going to drive you completely insane or drill an immediate hole in your brain, where it will take up residence for weeks as you find yourself mimicking Iyala’s staccato flow and randomly rapping “servin’ in the club out the tic tac pack” to yourself. It’s fun, a perfect lightener for a summer that has a tendency to feel infinitely dark each time you turn on the TV or scroll through Twitter. Remember to have a good time when you can; throw on “Tic Tac Pack” this weekend.
