The Mixtape 6/26/18: KSG, Kanye, Snail Mail

Happy Holidays 

This past month has been like Christmas for the rap fan in me. A glut of albums (KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Kanye West, The Carters, Pusha T, Rico Nasty) and tracks from Vic Mensa, 'Lgado, Ski Mask The Slump God, and Valee have been keeping the House Party in my head going while a generation behind me, unfortunately, deals with the loss of 20-year-old XXXTENTACION and potential next-big-thing PA rapper, 21-year-old Jimmy Wopo, both shot to death. I'm not going in to the societal elephant-in-the-rooms that are guns and mental illness here, but suffice it to say that my heart breaks at the suicides, homicides, and other unnecessary exits that so many have taken the last several years. Okay...back to the music.

The rap fest resulting from the above artists (and others) makes up around a third of this week's list, but it's not the only genre at the table. I love me a little bit of everything and am happiest when The Mixtape is reppin' most of the genres that I enjoy. To that point, this week has everything from the indie-pop perfection of Snail Mail, Camp Cope, and Hop Along to angsty snot-rock courtesy of FIDLAR, Jeff Rosenstock, and THICK. 

Want to dance? Hookworms, Drake, and the new Chic (💖), Chaka Khan, and Ariana Grande jams  should keep your feet moving. 

If you're in search of a lazy summer day vibe, may I suggest chilling out to the slinky (Natalie Prass), the soulful (MorMor) and the sublimely droning (Beach House). 

Sadly, we're without jazz as Kamasi Washington's nearly 10-minute odyssey, "Fists of Fury," fell off the 40 this week after a couple of months in its lower register. His full-length Heaven and Earth was released this past Friday. Once I commit to diving into it completely, you might see some more of his insanely good creations make their way on the 'tape in the near future.

On the horizon

New albums from Drake and Gorillaz come out this Friday, but I can't say I'm that excited for either. I tend to really like every tenth Drake song I hear and Gorillaz, while a mainstay of my auditory diet during the 00's, are a 'take it song-by-song' kind of act for me these days. 

What I am excited for (as both a music fan and a dorky grammar-loving English major) is the second full-length release from Let's Eat Grandma. Sure, no comma may result in some geriatric drama, but  LEG's transformative tunes are more than worth that risk.

The Mixtape 6/19/18: Kanye, Snail Mail, Beach House (again)

While it's same as it ever was at the top of the 'tape, there's all kinds of new tunes, mostly of the hip-hop / rap variety, popping up just in time for summer. I'm legit stunned that a Jay Z and Beyonce joint release (let's be honest, it's Bey's album, Jigga is window dressing) came out and is somehow available on Spotify. EVERYTHING IS LOVE (remember when caps lock abuse was the equivalent of digital screaming; not just a titling trend that should've started and ended with Kendrick's DAMN. last year) was a left-field surprise in a month-long parade of release party wonkiness brought to you by the guy that used to produce the 'greatest rapper alive'.

Am I still bitter that the bulk of Jay Z's catalog is not available for streaming on Spotify? Entirely possible. It's just nice to hear Jigga man on something other than his Linkin Park MTV Mash Up thingy. I miss The Blueprint (just the first one, though). I'll take Hova's The Black Album over Metallica's any day. And seriously, I could use some Reasonable Doubt in my life right now. But for now, there is The Carters (it's a family affair). A victory lap of sorts after the raw revelations of Bey and Jay's Lemonade and 4:44. 

In other news, Nas failed to impress on his latest, Nasir, Kanye's latest release on his GOOD Records label. It was the fourth straight week of a live-streamed listening party followed up the next day eventually with a digital release. Hopefully Nasir's track list won't fluctuate like KIDS SEE GHOSTS has the past couple weeks. Seriously, Ye, stop shuffling your tracks and the songs behind their titles. It's confusing as hell and no one needs that kind of drama in their life.

About KIDS SEE GHOSTS...a couple tracks from that Kanye / Kid Cudi collabo have settled in nicely to my daily rotation and this week's top ten. But it's not just the 'Ye show up top. Courtney Barnett released her second full-length solo album, Tell Me How You Really Feel last month and "Charity" from that great sophomore release is proving to be a standout on an album packed with well-crafted songs.

As I mentioned, there are a bunch of new entries this week. The Carter's "EVERYTHING IS LOVE" bows, as do tracks from Vic Mensa and G-Easy, Rico Nasty, Ski Mask The Slump God, and miss Chaka Khan, amongst others. I had zero expectations for a new Chaka Khan release, her first release in over a decade, but color me pleasantly surprised. "Like Sugar" is an old-school funk fest that's keeping me dancing in my chair throughout the work day and quickly becoming an early dark horse contender for my 2018 Summer Song. The booty wants what the booty wants.

In addition to Chaka bringing the funk and the aforementioned glut of hip-hop / rap that entered my world this week, I'm also geeking out to Natalie Prass' slinky "Oh My" which sounds like it could've been released in the 80s. Speaking of the 80s, George Benson is back in action on Gorillaz' "Humility". He's not singing, but his signature guitar breathes life in to would probably otherwise be an unmemorable song. Also, it's really weird (and quite awesome) to say that George Benson, who was on my weekly list back in the 80s with hits like "Give Me The Night" and "Turn Your Love Around", has returned to it in 2018. Anything is possible. Cue the Rick Astley comeback. Oh god...please don't.