I found Vincent, The Owl by accident.
Or was it fate? As literally every post on this Substack will tell you, I like to scrounge around. And when it comes to digital digging, international mp3 sites are a reliably dusty crate.
Whatever streaming service(s) you use, their respective New Music Fridays are just another Sam Goody’s endcap. No matter how well intentioned, they’re still curated lists subject to the same biases, limitations and industry horse-trading as anything else in the biz.
The system makes it infinitely easier to know what an already-famous artist is up to than discover a brand-new one. I want to know everything that comes out on any given week, needle drop around and make my own choices.
This is where the Russians come in.
Somehow, janky global download sites have it all. No release too obscure to make the feed; tons of artists I’ve never heard of. If a clever title or cool sleeve art piques my interest, I’m excited to give it a chance.
Vin had a blurry cover photo and songs named “Dead Without Media Coverage” and “L$D Bubble Tea.” Before he finished yelling “reporting live from Jersey City, 201 shit!” I was sold.
It made me feel like blasting old Outsidaz and the “Just Don’t Give A Fuck” cassingle. Found him on socials and dropped a line just to say “I rock with you, keep going.”
We stayed in touch, and pretty soon ended up making tunes together, starting with "94 Olympics", then a series of EPs on Fool’s Gold: Pour Decisions in 2020, Gutter in 2022, and 100 Proof, out next Friday.
100 Proof features some legitimately special guests (Meyhem Lauren, Chris Crack, fellow NJ devil Fatboi Sharif) over some of my favorite beats to date. Vin’s rhyming harder than ever, shouting out Forman Mills, the Venti food truck and Jennifer Coolidge.
Psyched for all y’all to hear it in full!
I love working with these guys because they’re raw, creative and funny.
Too much music (and art, culture, movies, etc) is self serious and utterly humorless. It’s a joy to get weird and make neck-snapping shit that also contains a chuckle or two.
We don’t set out to create platinum records (though hey, wouldn’t turn ‘em down), but to be original and amuse ourselves. That mentality unites all the folks I gravitate towards / collab with, from Jackie Chain to Nasty Nigel.
Individuals!
I’m sure if I was doing this in the 90s, I’d be trying to make songs with Cru and Snaggapuss, chasing down New Kingdom while bugging Kwest Tha Madd Lad for a feature.
Never say never…
From a fan’s perspective, we’re in a great moment for rap LPs, following a not-insignificant dry spell. Been a minute since I’ve kept this many records in regular rotation.
Schoolboy Q’s cut-and-paste Blue Lips is alternately bitter, sweet and sample-filled. Perhaps the most Beatnuts-ian TDE release of all time? Wild to see the evolution where Q’s sixth album might be his best yet.
Future also deserves props for consistency. While other blockbuster artists are coasting — if not actively starting to fall off — Pluto’s trying out new flows and lingo, energized by Metro Boomin. They went banoodles on ‘em! Impressive that the “viral” bits on We Don’t Trust You are also the album’s least essential moments.
Lots of post-Soundcloud kids mash up trap drums and guitar yells; Kenny Mason might be the only one to nail both. There are records on 9 that feel like Lee Ranaldo samples, plus a new chamber of storytelling and rapping rapping on tracks like “Jumpin In.”
While we’re “the kids are alright”-ing, I loooove the vibe that Yachty and friends conjure up on the Concrete Boys debut. Feels like springtime! Maybe my favorite label compilation since Ryde Or Die Vol 1 (whoever left their CD in the Jefferson House guidance counselor’s office: you’re still not getting it back). A certain subset of calcified listeners are shitting on Karrahbooo the same way they did Swizz’ Casio sonics back then. Spoiler alert: the future always wins.
But the past is cool too! Computer Jay channels the absolute best of left field, lo-fi boom-bappery on his new Get ‘Em project. Sample-dense songs about bombing, multiple Pharcyde appearances… a verse from Thee Mike B?!? It’s unpretentious and funky in the best possible way. Not going to be fighting any of these other records for a Rap Caviar slot any time soon, but there’s room for everyone if you’re dope.