This is the 3rd EP from Los Angeles, California emcee Shakewell. Coming up in the spring of 2017 off his debut EP Keystone Prince, he followed it up a year later with his 2nd EP Big Juice tha Sip resulting in the $uicideboy$ signing him to G*59 Record$ right when the pandemic started & releasing the full-length debut album Pray 4 Shakewell. 2 & a half years later, he’s coming off the Shameless $uicide & Kevlar Money Bags collaborative EPs with $B & Germ respectively to get Dangerously Close.
“Grimace Shake” is this synth-driven trap opener feeling like the Prince of Keystone calling back to his breakout debut EP whereas “Life at tha Moment” kinda gives me a Mobb vibe instrumentally telling us how life’s been at that exact point recording the shit. “.40 Talkin’” featuring Ramirez grimly works in keys & hi-hats getting on the gangsta rap tip lyrically while “Gun Louder” goes off-the-top boasting he has more mags than the New York Times does. “My Beanie Gone (Lame Killer)” morbidly looks to exterminate the lames & “When “My Way” Kills” featuring SXMPRA keeps the heat for every partner in case people want beef.
Big Juice tha Sip happens to be my favorite EP in Shakewell’s discography excluding Shameless $uicide & I was hoping for him to come out with something in 2024 due to the fact it’s almost been 2 & a half years since introducing himself to the G*59 audience but if Dangerously Close is his way of holding everyone off until the official Pray 4 Shakewell follow-up, then I’ll gladly take it. Instrumentally, it’s matches the bar that his full-length set & letting people know what’s been going on since we last heard from him.
Chanel West Coast is a 36 year old television personality, rapper, singer & actress from Los Angeles, California notable for her appearances on Fantasy Factory & later a co-host of the only show on MTV this day in age Ridiculousness. As far as her music career, she signed to Young Money Entertainment as well as Cash Money Records & Republic Records to put out her first 2 mixtapes Now You Know & Waves ahead of her eventual departure. Her full-length debut America’s Sweetheart saw the light of day independently in the fall of 2020 & now that she finally stepped down from her role on Ridiculousness a year & a half ago, she’s dropping a sophomore effort.
The title track is this pop rap/trap opener capturing her hometown mindset in the most underwhelming way imaginable whereas “Lil Ms. Sunshine” puts a bigger emphasis on the melodic guitar riffs layering that with more hi-hats talking about having the last laugh. “100%” works in this run-of-the-mill trap beat trying to reaffirm her bad bitch status while “Cool Off” featuring Ill Nicky brings the guitars back in the fold to talk about being too hot for the shade.
“Pretty Girls” offers somewhat of an atmospheric trap flare instrumentally for this mediocre tribute to all the beautiful women out there just before “Waste My Time” embraces the rock vibes even further encouraging her lover to waste her time tonight. “Beautiful Mess” mutates pop rap with rock & trap telling her new man he’s crazy to think she’s perfect that is until Apollo Liberace gives the worst feature of the 2 on “Midnight in Hollywood” telling us when the spotlight looks best.
Even if the concept of “Wonderful Life” comes from a good place, the verses that Chanel lays over this jangly trap beat at certain points makes me feel like I’m listening to a cheap version of Nicki Minaj & that may or may not have been a potential reason why Lil Wayne & Birdman gave her a joint deal in the first place when I think about it. “Extra” finishes the LP with 1 more guitar-driven pop rap/trap hybrid talking about being extra out in Hollywood since she feels like she’s next up artistically.
DJ Khaled alongside Tyga & PJ Morton are the only other artists to release a full-length through Young Money/Cash Money other than Drake & Nicki during the height of the YMCMB era, but at least all 3 of them are still seeing success of their own now. California State of Mind though feels similar to former labelmate Paris Hilton’s sophomore effort Infinite Icon from last weekend in the sense that neither of them would’ve been well received from a critical or commercial standpoint. The production’s actually more decent than expected except Chanel’s songwriting & performances are lackluster.
Chaz Bear or better known by his stage name Toro y Moi is a 37 year old singer/songwriter, producer & graphic designer from Columbia, South Carolina notable for being a pioneer of the chilllwave microgenre. His first 5 albums Causers of This, Underneath the Pine, Anything in Return, Michael & What For? all hold fond places in my heart since they were all released during the course of my adolescence. Boo Boo was ok & same with Outer Peace, but Mahal wound up being my favorite full-length of Chaz’ since What For? to the point where the singles ahead of his 9th LP had me intrigued as to what he was going to do.
“Walking in the Rain” starts by singing over a psychedelic trap instrumental about being back in this bitch like a bad teenager whereas “CD-R” kinda has this lo-fi quality to it keeping the hi-hats in the fold remembering the days of burning CD-Rs & having a Blackberry. “HOV” fuses rage & a hint of rock music talking about being a biodegradable energy angel prior to the pop rock, indie pop, cloud rap, alt-pop, pop punk & trap-flavored “Tuesday” laments music & other content can be predicable, repetitive or mundane in a world of algorithms & media consumption.
Benjamin Gibbard joins Chaz for “Hollywood” rolling alt-pop, cloud rap, emo rap & bedroom pop into 1 heading out to the titular city out in the west coast having no cell service stone rolling & role playing while “Reseda” featuring DUCKWRTH & Elijah Kessler goes for some punky undertones talking about a long day of living in the very city that Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) was founded. “Babydaddy” cavernously advises this woman he’s talking to that the father of her child could possibly be watching him from the side just before the chilled out “Madonna” featuring Don Toliver compares their partners to the pop icon of the same name.
“Undercurrent” featuring Don Toliver & Porches brings the synths back together so all 3 of them can ask if you can feel or hear an underlying influence & “Off Road” ironically might be my least favorite track here since he’s blatantly pulling from Travis Scott’s style too much. “Smoke” featuring Kenny Mason is this playful trap joint still adjusting with the time feeling all 4 seasons while “Heaven” goes bedroom pop talking about smoke & mirrors got you lookin’ at distractions hopin’ that it’s magic. “Starlink” ends with some dance undertones telling a bitch to get a grip on her life.
Hole Erth easily stands as the genre shapeshifter’s most unexpected & bold move to date diving headlong into cloud rap, alternative R&B, indie pop, alt-pop, emo rap, trap & pop punk. He even reclaims himself embracing the myriad sounds & eras that formed him while crashing new worlds together accomplishing the goal he set out of keeping up with the contemporary alternative listener building the themes around both angst & nostalgia.
Here we have the 16th EP albeit his 2nd to be released this year from Buffalo emcee & singer Elcamino. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that.. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. 6 months after having Real Bad Manproduce The Game is the Game though, Ill Tone’s now producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… produced by RZA.
Estee Nack joins Elcamino for the opener “Stash House Legends” starting Built for Cuban Links by reaffirming both of their statuses in the drug game over a bare soul sample whereas “Mill Prep” puts the drums in the equation promising to stay the same with or without money. “Estate” feels like a 73 second freestyle accompanied by a drumless instrumental while “Red Room” featuring Flames Dot Malik goes boom bap detailing the gangsta lifestyles they live.
“Gold Plated Benz Wagons” classily talks about being upper echelon just before “Cuban on Cuban” works in more kicks & snares flexing that hip hop got him iced up. “Zip Lock Olympics” luxuriously gets back on his hustler shit leading into the flute-tinged “God’s Favorite” declares he’s done doing & selling percs. The title track strips the drums again to talk about coming from a dark street & “I Knew” returns to the boom bap 1 more time winning standoffs instead of awards.
The Game is the Game still remains the best I’ve heard from Camino ever since signing to B$F, but Built for Cuban Links nonetheless finds him going on a 3-peat since I enjoyed it as much as I did They Spit on Jesus when he joined the label’s roster 11 months ago. Ill Tone obviously ain’t no Real Bad Man yet his takes on the boom bap/drumless sounds get elevated thanks to the stories Meechy tells in only 20 minutes.
DJ Jewels is a 48 year old DJ, producer & rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his work with some of the Motor City’s most notable hip hop acts from D12 to his Grindset cohort Fatt Father of the world famous Fat Killahz or even Obie Trice. He released his solo debut Another Conversation Peace a quarter of a century ago followed by Peep Game, Priceless & Take It or Leave It. My introduction to him though was the summer of 2010 when he produced the posthumous Proof mixtape Time a Tell recorded in 24 hours sometime before his murder, which has some of my favorite solo material from the mayor. The Best is Yet to Come has to be my favorite album from Jewels & was excited to hear his 6th LP following the 5 EPs The Movement, Who’z Dean Jones?, Fastlife Fame, Aniel & Pick 6.
The intro by Finale starts in the form of this 96 second horn-laced opener giving the finger to their competition mainstream or underground whereas “Document” by Guilty Simpson works in an opera sample matched with kicks & snares talking about fools betting that their music wouldn’t be hittin’ no more. “No Hook” by Big Tone & Denmark Vessey has a funkier vibe to the beat murdering it without the need of a chorus & after the “DJ Stripalude” interlude, “Is On Me” by DJ Truth has to be one of the weaker cuts & that’s because of the heavy auto-tuned vocals, the trap instrumental is fine.
“Drought Season 3” by Big Herk & the late MC Breed embraces the Bay Area-inspired take that the Detroit trap scene has become known for in recent memory boasting the fact they stay getting that shit prior to “Grind Season” by Grindset sampling “I’m Afraid the Masquerade’s Over” by David Porter talking about never making projects to skim through, as how it should be. “Hey Mr. DJ” by Kashia Adams goes R&B singing over a funky instrumental that she wants to dance leading into the trap-inflicted “Gettin’ Off” by Dean Jones & Tae-O only knowing to run shit up.
Interestingly on “Ur tha Won”, we have DJ Jewels jumping over one of his beasts to give a shot at MCing for a little over a minute & holding his own weight maintaining the trap sounds from the previous joint turning the energy up getting romantic while “Meet Mr. Wonderful” featuring Marv Won finds the 2 talking about progressively improving every single day over this jazzy soulful hybrid. “Still Love er” by Big Tone & Loe Louis starts the other half of UNDR DAWG with a fresh dedication to hip hop culture & the sequel “1st Love (Still Love er 2)” much like “Ur tha Won” is another Jewels solo joint instead it has a boom bap vibe to it.
“Pretty Girl Anthem” by DJ Truth happens to be an average pop rap/trap crossover dedicated to all the pretty women that be out here in Detroit just before “Thankful4U2” by Jill Govan goes off with another R&B joint that’s as catchy as “Hey Mr. DJ” from earlier. “Grow More” by Big Tone goes for a groovier approach instrumentally suggesting to watch what you feed your conscious mind & tell him the haters vamonos, but then “Cheat Code” is a 3rd solo cut from DJ Jewels chopping up a soul sample throwing 808s in the fold repping Grindset.
Picking up from the previous track perfectly, Grindset returns to the boom bap on “How Dat Sound?” talking about driving off on people who don’t value their hard work while “Heat tha Summer Up” happens to be the final Jewels solo cut jumping over another Detroit trap beat similarly to “Cheat Code” & “Ur tha Won” heading to the top without runner-ups. “Go Mode 2” by Grindset & Oba Rowland decently remixes to the same song off Grindset’s eponymous debut while “Live 4 Me” by Alius Pnukkl discusses needing time to get through things.
Almost all of the EPs that DJ Jewels has been putting out in the last 5 years other than Who’z Dean Jones? if you think about it have been finding him venturing out into house music before even Beyoncé & even Drake put out Renaissance or Honestly, Nevermind. As for UNDR DAWG, I love it as much as The Best is Yet to Come. His production here could be his most versatile pinging between boom bap, Detroit trap & R&B leaving most of the performances to a list of established & up-&-coming local artists aside from the 4 solo tracks.
This is a brand new collaborative EP between Krizz Kaliko & Vin Jay. One is an MC, singer/songwriter & voice actor from Kansas City, Missouri notable for being one of the first people that Tech N9ne signed to Strange Music along with Kutt Calhoun and Skatterman & Snug Brim while the other is a New York rapper emerging in 2019 by releasing the single “Mumble Rapper vs. Lyricist” to widely negative reception. Krizz left Strange in the spring of 2021 following L.I.F.E. (Legend Immortal Forever Eternal) to form his own label Ear House Inc., making his 3rd EP Wrapped Up the inaugural release through his imprint. He & Vin Jay have been working closely have been working closely for the past, which resulted in Vin opening for Krizz on your & eventually Chop.
The title track is a decent trap opener produced by former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 going back-&-forth talking about them teaming up so they can cut up anyone who wants to step up to them whereas “Champ” turns the bass up boasting that they’re bigger than everyone else. “Famous” then works in a vocal sample & hi-hats disregarding fame & Vin Jay saying there’s no debating he’s one of the greatest, except for the fact that his discography up to this point has been generally panned.
“Bussin’” starts the other half of Chop has another one of my favorite instrumentals on the entire EP swapping out the sampling from the previous track in favor of grisly piano chords & “B.D.E. (Big Dick Energy)” easily has to be my least favorite track here not because of the chaotic trap beat, but rather due to their take on the titular slang phrase coming off as corny instead of boastful. “Ball Out” finishes the EP with 1 more trap joint going on a high streak & Vin Jay calling himself a legend, which is true in the sense that “Mumble Rapper vs. Lyricist” is literally one of the worst singles of the previous decade.
Being a longtime fan of Krizz Kaliko ever since the Strange Music days, I’ve continued to support him ever since he left to go his own way as proven by how much I enjoyed Wrapped Up few years ago simply because he’s always stood out as a highly skilled MC & an undeniably captivating singer/songwriter responsible for penning some of the most memorable hooks in Tech’s discography. But Chop sadly marks a step down from the Wysh You Would collab album with Tres Aurland almost 2 & a half years ago. 7’s half of the production is more detailed than the other & Krizz’ performances are significantly stronger than Vin Jay’s.
Paris Hilton is a 43 year old media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, actress & DJ from New York notable for being the granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. She’s had numerous reality TV shows in the last couple decades, put out a full-length debut studio album Paris through Warner Records & shortly after was instrumental in helping launch the career of Kim Kardashian. There was even a point in time where she temporarily signed to Cash Money Records during the height of YMCMB’s popularity & is returning to the music scene for a sophomore effort.
“Welcome Back” is an electropop opener singing about her return to music after nearly 2 decades whereas “I’m Free” featuring Rina Sawayama fuses dance-pop, nu-disco, contemporary R&B French house & Brazilian bass tackling the theme of doing whatever they want with their lives. “Chasin’” featuring Meghan Trainor garishly mutates dance-pop, tropical house, afrobeats, dancehall, contemporary R&B & moombahton givin’ up on their exes prior to “B.B.A. (Bad Bitch Academy)” featuring Megan Thee Stallion obnoxiously crosses over dance-pop & hip hop schooling the baddies.
Sia joins Paris for the alt-pop, synthpop & electropop duet “Fame Won’t Love You” talking about fame not caring for people as much as a parent would leading into “ADHD” calling the neurodevelopmental disorder her superpower over dense, layered & compressed production usually coupled with a distinct fuzzy & warm low-frequency synthesizer style. “Legacy” draws inspiration from dance-pop again singing about making history with her current husband Carter Reum, but then “Stay Young” is this poppy house hybrid seeking eternal youth.
“Infinity” gets back on the electropop tip to sing about Carter’s love for her being heaven sent stopping the world when he put her over everything else while “If the Earth is Spinning” featuring Sia goes synthpop dancing within the Earth spinnin’ since it’s a new beginning. “Without Love” featuring Maria Becerra nears the end of the LP with a house-pop duet not wanting to live without love & “Adored” is an electropop closer expressing the feeling of adoration.
One of the things that I personally have always appreciated about Paris was Scott Storch’s half of the production on there since The Roots’ original keyboardist & former Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer’s extraordinary talent remains undeniable. For the follow-up, I like it less than the debut. Even if dance-pop & electropop vibes from the debut remain in tact except the contemporary R&B & pop rock undertones are swapped out in favor of synthpop & house pop, Paris’ vocals still haven’t improved whatsoever in nearly 2 decades.
Queens, New York emcee, songwriter, actor, pioneer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer LL Cool J or Ladies Love Cool James returning to Def Jam Recordings a decade after the independently released Authentic to have Q-Tip from one of my all-time favorite groups A Tribe Called Quest produce his 14th full-length studio album. Signing to Def Jam since Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons started it, his hardcore mid-school debut Radio fully produced by Rick & the sophomore effort B.A.D. (Bigger And Deffer) both established him as being a flagship artist for the label. Walking with a Panther was a good follow-up too since “Jingling Baby”’s one of my favorite songs of LL’s & Mama Said Knock You Out produced by Juice Crew co-founder Marley Marl is the best in his discography. 14 Shots to the Dome, Mr. Smith, Phenomenon, G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All-Time which helped coin the titular acronym, 10& The DEFinition primarily produced by Timbaland all had their individual highlights except I didn’t enjoy them as much as the first 2 albums & Mama Said Knock You Out combined. Said standouts include “Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings”, “Loungin’”, “4, 3, 2, 1″ which because of the line “L is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that” ignited his beef with Canibus that lasted the last 3 years of the 20th century, “Zoom”, “Imagine That”, “Luv U Better” & “Headsprung”. Todd Smith was a step-down from The DEFinition & even fulfilled his Def Jam contract by releasing Exit 13 to mixed responses. Some consider Authentic as his weakest & I on the contrary always found myself enjoying the half that the Trackmasters produced & “Remember Me”. He alongside the late DMX both returned to Def Jam in 2019 & got with Dr. Dre who produced “Zoom” for what eventually became a journey through The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) in an exclusive joint deal between Def Jam & Virgin Music.
“Spirit of Cyrus” featuring additional vocals from WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg is a synth-driven opener talking about stitching fuckers up & leaving the murder seamless whereas the title track works in a blaring boom bap instrumental flexing that he’s part of the realest crew chillin’ on a yacht listening to Pop Smoke & they got all the plugs. The lead single “Saturday Night Special” featuring Fat Joe & Rick Ross samples “Bobbing Wide” by Caravan talking about always keeping your word & paying back while “Black Code Suite” serves as this slick pro-black anthem.
The way Tip flips “Sun Touch” by Herbie Hancock on the 2nd single “Passion” was highly enjoyable talking about these muhfuckas needing a new team & “Proclivities” featuring Saweetie is actually the only love song on the entire LP hooking the synths back up asking their partners what they gonna do with it. “Post Modern” soulfully expresses LL’s desire to raise the bar, but then “30 Decembers” hops over a morbid beat to tell us his experiences of living in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Runnit Back” brings a funkier flare to the table talking about having to make moves out here if you really want it just before “Huey in the Chair” featuring Busta Rhymes continues the themes of Afrocentrism likening themselves to the iconic picture of Black Panthers founder Huey P. Newton posted up. “Basquiat Energy” pulls inspiration from funk music once again talking about keeping the aura of Jean-Michel Basquiat in the air leading into the groovy “Praise Him” featuring Nas finding the 2 giving thanks to the higher power.
Eminem who actually became God like James Todd joins Uncle L for the 4th & final single “Murdergram 2”, which is a sequel to a highlight off Mama Said Knock You Out that lives up to the hype of it’s predecessor boasting about their raw unapologetic style & credibility in the rap game whether it be LL’s nostalgic bravado or Eminem’s signature speedy flow & subtle wordplay. “The Vow” featuring Don Pablito, J-S.A.N.D. & Mad Squablz finishes our exploration of The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) by showcasing 3 up-&-coming artists paying it forward to them.
I can’t call it a comeback because he’s been here for years but as I expected based on the singles, The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) serves as a testament of Def Jam’s dominance in the musical landscape for 4 decades & lands a spot in my personal top 3 LL albums with Radio & Mama Said Knock You Out. He relearns how to rap again not doing anything trendy or trying to recapture anything he did in the past & works out beautifully addressing themes racial injustice, law enforcement abuses, isolation mixed with observations brought on by the pandemic, his overall legacy & musings on his place in the canon. I can’t forget to mention that Q-Tip’s production here is equivalent to Pete Rock’s on Common’s newest album The Auditorium & that much like The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) further proves that hip hop culture’s veterans are still thriving as the music industry evolves with time adapting to further establish their legacies & longevities.
Laila! is an 18 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from New York who happens to be the daughter of Yasiin Bey formerly known as Mos Def. Even though she released her debut EP In CTRL! almost 6 months ago, I myself was introduced to her artistry only a few weeks ago when she had one of the best features on the single “Problem!” off of Cash Cobain’s latest mixtape Play Cash Cobain. Her full-length debut studio album here further caught my attention after learning that she would be self-producing the entire thing.
“Talent Show” is a stripped-back 5 minute opener drawing inspiration from SZA singing about feeling that her mind is being misused & a love with no more appeal whereas “Sink 2 Rise” spaciously melodically discusses feeling lonely as of late pointing out one has to sink first in order for them to rise. “R U Down?” works in some synths asking her man if he’s really down with her or not just before the funky “If U Don’t Know By Now” making everyone find out if they ain’t hip.
Moving on from there, “Want 2” hooks the synths back up coming clean that she made the beat for her love interest telling him she’s the type of shawty he’s looking for while “Sani (Homework Freestyle)” goes off-the top for 40 seconds flexing she’s harder than the bitches who think she’s soft. “Like That!” blends alternative R&B with cloud & pop rap wanting to love each other so badly leading into “Grand Opening” hopping over more synths cautioning her heart’s expensive to break.
“Blackberry (Date 4 Prom)” psychedelically ends the first half of Gap Year! by admitting she doesn’t know what she wants with the whole world in her hands & after the “Mama Nelly” skit, “Could Be” moodily sings to a romantic interest that even he knows how things could turn out if they were together. “If You’re Listening” harmoniously apologies to someone she never meant to hurt while “We’re So Over! gets in her breakup bag.
Meanwhile on “IDONTNEEDUANYMORE”, we have Laila! atmospherically telling her ex she’s over him at this point while “Not My Problem” fuses jerk rap & alternative R&B further elaborating why she can’t confide in him. The penultimate track “Flyer Than U” nears the conclusion of her first LP asking if she deserves better when she certainly does & “Coupé DeVille” closes up shop talking about taking her new man to the hills.
Her feature on the new Cash Cobain tape isn’t the best gateway to Laila!’s music since literally everything she did on Gap Year! proves how much of a stronger performer & songwriter she is than the sample drill pioneer himself. Her production balances alternative R&B, neo-soul, pop rap, neo-psychedelia, synth-funk, bedroom pop & jerknb exceptionally during the 44 minute course demonstrating her versatility whether it be as a singer or a rapper.
Fred again.. is a 31 year old producer, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & DJ from London, England, United Kingdom who broke out in 2021 off the debut album Actual Life for it’s amalgamation of sounds including future garage, deep house, alternative R&B, UK Bass, UK Funky, stutter house, spoken word & ambient house. Atlantic Records signed Fred shortly after & he’s been making himself home there ever since, gaining more attention putting out Actual Life 2 & Actual Life 3 through the major label. 23 months later, Fred’s celebrating his experiences over the last 365 days on his 4th LP.
After the “.1” intro, the first song “adore u” by Obongjayar is an afrobeats opener singing about his woman being so much better at everything than him sink lower in his chair since there’s no comparison whereas “10” featuring Jozzy & Jim Legxacy after the “.2” skit blends deep house, melodic house, alternative R&B, future garage, garage house, stutter house & lo-fi house going over a week in a foreign ends without their partners. After the “.3” skit, “fear less” by Sampha takes the spacious R&B route telling their lovers they protect them from their fears leading into “just stand there” after the “.4” skit bringing spoken word & house together.
After the “.5” skit, “places to be” by Anderson .Paak & CHIKA goes liquid drum & bass talking about having to be somewhere preferably with their significant others beside them while “glow” after the “.6” skit co-produced with 4 Tet & Skrillex cooks up a 7 & a half minute EDM banger for all the raves. “i saw you” after the “.7” skit euphorically sings about refusing to let go of a specific version of this woman just before the violin-laced “where will i be” by Emmylou Harris after the “.8” skit tells the story of an Indian boy she met in Ottawa.
After the “.9” skit, the penultimate song “peace u need again” featuring Snoh Aalegra nears the conclusion of 10 Days by whipping up a 6 & a half minute house anthem that Joy Anonymous helped laced hoping that everyone listening finds the peace they’re looking for & need in their lives again while “backseat” by The Japanese House after the “.10” skit finishes Fred’s 3rd offering with Atlantic talking about going a little crazy & needing someone to save them.
Landing production credits for the likes of Rico Nasty to Eminem & more recently ¥$ has further elevated Fred again..’s popularity including the 2 loosie singles “leavemealone” & “stayinit”. Regardless if I don’t know why they didn’t make the cut, 10 Days is an excellent way for Fred to move past the Actual Life trilogy. His production culminates in deep house, melodic house, alternative R&B, future garage, garage house, stutter house, lo-fi house, afrobeats and liquid drum & bass teaching us the most memorable moments stem from very small quiet intimate portions.
Legends Will Never Die 