BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Ray Gun feat Doom
BADBADNOTGOOD lead an impressive double life. On one hand, they’re one of the jazz groups making interesting contemporary albums alongside Roller Trio, Led Bib and the hirsute Polar Bear, and on the other, they’re the new Roots, providing precision backing for rappers. They made their name in hip-hop circles by covering Waka Flocka Flame’s crossover trap epic Hard in the Paint and working with Tyler, The Creator. But last year their self-titled album showed they can do atmospheric understatement and meandering noodling, as well as festival-friendly live trap. Now they’ve teamed up with Ghostface Killah for Sour Soul, a brazen throwback album that’s enamoured by the cinematic sounds of the 70s with nods to the likes of Barry Adamson, Lalo Schifrin and Superfly-era Curtis Mayfield. Blaxploitation is the theme of the video for Ray Gun as well, which has a cameo from the masked villain himself, Doom. Ghostface carries on the form he showed on 36 Seasons, but over the laidback production of BADBADNOTGOOD, he’s somehow even smoother. The album is out at the end of February and will be a contender for one of the strongest of 2015. One for the heads.
Rae Sremmurd – Unlock the Swag
Born in California, raised in Mississippi and made in Atlanta, Rae Sremmurd represent a healthy pan-American strand of hip-hop that’s started to circulate in early 2015. Brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy have become muses for Atlanta’s omnipotent beat-maker Mike Will Made It, with their super slow-mo delivery and talent for making sing-along choruses suiting his less-is-more approach to production. Their album SremmLife debuted at No 5 in the hip-hop charts and follows lead-in singles Up Like Trump and last year’s ubiquitous No Type. Unlock the Swag is perhaps the prime example of what the duo do best. Over a Mike Will Made It beat – which is little more than minimal drums, a huge swirling blast of bass and some ghoulish synths – they talk about the trappings of fame and having lots of sex (same lyric: “Four Seasons, three words: do not disturb”). If Young Thug’s squawk is too much for you, Rae Sremmurd could serve as a gateway into understanding trap’s appeal – or make you hate it even more.
Joey Bada$$ – Born Day
Joey Bada$$ hasn’t had the easiest of rides lately. Both his travails in Australia (accused of punching a security guard and breaking his nose) and his “outing” by some rightwing outlets as “Marxist” and “anti-white” after Malia Obama appeared on the Pro Era Instagram account wearing one of the group’s T-shirts, weren’t ideal preparations for a debut album release. When I spoke to him earlier this month, he seemed tired but was upbeat about B4.DA.$$ (despite believing his phone has been tapped). But it’s not been universally well received. Some argued he was too focused on the 90s sounds he favours, without being able to live up to the high standards of his forebears. That’s fair enough. It’s called the golden era for a reason, but his approach to hip-hop will probably gain more traction this year with the aforementioned Ghostface Killah album planned and more work from Bishop Nehru slated as well. Non-album track Born Day gives a feel for what he’s all about. Lyrical dexterity, a focus on flow, mixed with often – but not always – boom-bap production.
Dej Loaf – Try Me remix
Detroit rapper Dej Loaf’s Try Me was the stand-out track from her Sell Sole mixtape and it’s a weird mix of seemingly chart-friendly production and threatening lyrics draped in AutoTune. Originally out in September, the remix sees her join up with Atlanta veterans TI and Yeezy. It’s huge in the US, and shows the half-life of a buzzy, radio-friendly track can be vast. Try Me has been mashed up with indie survivors Spoon by the Hood Internet (in a similar way to Dead Prez were with Grizzly Bear) and she’s worked with other trap royalty in the form of Birdman and Young Thug. Does it reach the heights of Rae Sremmurd? Probably not. But now she’s signed with Columbia records expect to hear more of her bellicose, if not slightly reductive take on hip-hop.
Future Brown – 302 feat Tink
A production supergroup made up of Daniel Pineda and Asma Maroof of Nguzunguzu, J-Cush, and Fatima al Qadiri, Future Brown meld grime, dubstep, trap and R&B into their own austere, polished finished. Their album is out at the end of February, and they’ve been trailing it with a string of emcee-led tracks most notably Wanna Party featuring drill queen Tink and Talkin Bandz with Shawnna and Chicago’s answer to DJ Drama, DJ Victoriouz. While A$AP Yams – who died earlier this month – aimed to connect the dots between America’s various hip-hop scenes, Future Brown amalgamate some of the most vital sounds of the last decade, regardless of location or scene. It’s the kind of effort that could easily fall short or see the production unit dominate vocal guests, but their sound is atmospheric without ever being imposing. Think Mike Will Made It in the studio with Maniac and you’ll be somewhere close.
