Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – July 20
Clockwise from top left: Anjulie, Killval, SSGKobe, Butch Dawson, BIG30 and Darrin Bradbury.
Ever find yourself skipping song after song on your playlist after the thousandth rotation? A fresh perspective often breathes life into music, so here are some new singles to give a spin! BIG30, Darrin Bradbury, Anjulie, Butch Dawson, KILLVAL and SSGKobe are taking over this week’s collection of Tuesday Tracks.
SSGKobe, “MIA” — The warping synth melody and pitch-shifted sung vocals on SSGKobe’s newest single really evoke the late JUICEWRLD; particularly thematically, with a strong focus on psychological turmoil brought on through experiencing success while burying one’s demons deep down inside. SSGKobe expresses how he’s resorted to self-medicating in order to cope, which, all things considered with the number of overdoses common in hip-hop as of late, I hope he’s doing well and not taking it too far.
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Anjulie, “Big Bad World” — Anjulie croons over this ambient R&B track with a slow marching tempo. She sings about wanting to believe in the inherent good in the world while struggling to find reason to believe in it. When it comes to dating, she explains how it isn’t easy to trust others in either opening up or being able to handle the baggage we may be hiding.
Butch Dawson, “GET MONEY” — Butch Dawson channels Kendrick Lamar’s flow on “GET MONEY” with a verse that would feel right at home on “HUMBLE.” What really makes this track impressive is the extremely bare-bones instrumental, using the most out of a snare with light scratch sounds interspersed throughout. Dawson raps about his willingness to take big risks in pursuit of wealth, reveling in the success he’s attained as a result.
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Darrin Bradbury, “Artvertisement” — The deadpan/flat vocal delivery on Darrin Bradbury’s “Artvertisement” evokes the wild and absurd qualities of Wesley Willis’ work, which is fitting considering the song’s ’90s sound. Bradbury invokes Andy Warhol as he digs at the grotesque merging of art and advertisement, critiquing how hollow and deceitful marketing and branding are when it comes to artistic value.
BIG30, “Mista” — Rapper BIG30 lays down his claim to Memphis as he goes off over a simple piano-led drill beat. He boasts about his influence and flexes his street credibility, proclaiming to be a threat to anyone looking to push his boundaries. It’s definitely worth a play at the next block party.
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KILLVAL, “FRIENDS” — This emo/rap joint is a breakup song about KILLVAL’s ex-girlfriend’s friends trashing him. While he expresses his regret for causing the breakup, he wants to rekindle their relationship—even as a friendship—now that he has matured. But being barred from connecting with her, all he’s left with are feelings of hurt.
Tim’s Pick: Butch Dawson really knocked it out of the park by making the most out of very little. The extremely minimalist snare instrumental would be challenging for any rapper to really pull off without any backing instruments. Not only does Dawson use dynamic and interesting flow patterns, he packs in lyrical content enough to carry the track into something worthy of being blasted as loud as possible.
Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.