What's Good (Week of 10/13)
Bit of a rough week in the music world, but we keep it pushing with another edition of What's Good. As usual, I've got a lot of good stuff for you including:
New Albums
- Duncecap & steel tipped dove
- DJ Muggs, Crimeapple, & RLX
- Hemlock Ernst & Icky Reels
- Blvck Spvde & The Cosmos
- Lee Scott
- Lord OLO & Televangel
New Singles
- Ab-Soul
- EARTHGANG
- Silas Short
- Cavalier & Child Actor
- Chelsea Wolfe
- MIKE
And much more. Instead of the standard round-up of stuff from across the web, for this week's Bonus Beats I've decided to dedicate a few words to the titan that Hip Hop and music in general lost this week, Kaseem "Ka" Ryan.
Bonus Beats
A few years ago, thanks to the graciousness of Orion, I was able to take part in a small panel at Big Bad Con on storytelling in Hip Hop. Once we came to the Q&A portion, at the end someone asked us for parting words of advice, and the first thing I said was, "Listen to Ka." Part of my aim during the panel was to disabuse folks of certain stereotypes about who's capable of what in rap. As a born Southerner, I still held a bit of the ol' "the South got somethin' to say" grudge that Andre 3000 let the world in on back in the 90s, so I made sure to have folks from my neck of the woods in mind. As the elder millenial in the room (though at the time, no one gave as much of a shit about that as they seem to now), I wanted to make it clear that I valued young kids' talents. But ultimately at the end of everything, Ka was paramount in my mind. It's unfortunate that it took his passing this week at the entirely too young age of 52 to really interogate why.
As Open Mike Eagle put it during his stream earlier in the week, Ka's career was something of a second act in defiance of a culture that doesn't often encourage or celebrate them. He began his career as a member of the group Natural Elements, but when things didn't blow up for them, or for a later duo he was in called Nightbreed, he left rap behind. Much has already been made of his return to music after 10 years, the supposed improbability of it, and to an extent that was part of what settled in my chest that night at the convention. Having ambitions of sharing my creative writing with people in a more "serious" fashion while being acutely aware that I was a little bit older than a lot of the folks that would ostensively have been my peers and contemporaries, Ka's resurrgence resonated with me. The thing of it is, it wasn't just his age flying in the face of the adage of Hip Hop being a "young man's game", it was his intention.
Ka's career in his return to Hip Hop was all about intent. He never did anything for the sake of clout, or acolades. Aside from admittedly creating his first album Iron Works as a "swan song" to present to his friends and loved ones that believed in him, all of Ka's work in Hip Hop was seemingly done with a singular focus on the craft itself. There was a thoughtfulness and purpose put not only in every lyric, but in his commitment to sticking to the concepts he developed for each album. He largely produced his own albums. Save for the animated ones, his videos were self-shot. He sold his albums through his own website, and when the hassles of shipping LPs became too stressful, he began holding in person pop-ups for to put them in fans' hands personally. A lack of flashy imagery or promotion that felt like a deliberate choice rather than being beholden to a particular budget or production value. Even in the music itself, the minimalist "drumless" sound that he arguably pioneered alongside Roc Marciano was purpose-built to make sure that the listener attention wouldn't be too divided to pay attention to the painstakingly crafted lyrics. Every choice that he made with his career seemed to be in service to his vision, clearly communicating his message, and making sure that there was little to no barrier in-between that message and the listener.
That dedication to the work, to being able to say precisely what you need to say, in the exact way that you want to say it was a guiding star for Ka. As I've struggled in my relationship with being a creative, wondering what good any of my effort is for if it doesn't get a ton of immediate praise or monentary return, Ka's example of letting the work itself be your satisfaction is an inspiring one. As I've watched the videos of Ka's pop-up events with fans lined up around the block for a chance to build with him, I'm glad that Ka was able to see how much his career resonated with people before he left. Selfishly though, I'm gutted that we won't get to see his career continue to evolve and flourish.
Along with the stories of his devotion to the craft, people have also been sharing example of him showing love to artists of all ages, from all over, like this bit from a Complex interview from around the time The Night's Gambit came out:
I love it. I'm not regional though. I care about the art more than about the region. The boys in Brooklyn are doing it, the boys in Chicago are doing it, the boys in LA are doing it... They have so many new movements of young MCs that care about rhyming.
I want all of those young boys that care, that give a fuck about rhyming, and that love it, to continue to get better and I want them to be more ill than me.
I root for them. I root for Chance the Rapper. I root for Joey Bada$$. I root for Ab-Soul. I root for Earl Sweatshirt. I want all of those young boys that care, that give a fuck about rhyming, and that love it, to continue to get better and I want them to be more ill than me. I want hip-hop to always thrive. This is the music that I love. I want this shit to be around forever.
I'm glad that we had Nas, Jay, Big, Slick Rick and all of them. Right now, while I'm still strong and my mind is still right, I want to be one of those soldiers holding it up until those young dudes come and they grab it from me and hold it up even higher. I root for anybody that loves hip-hop. If you love it, if you respect it, I love it.
I think the best way that I can honor what Ka meant to me is to show love to some artists that I respect, and once this post is done, maybe take some time to write and create something with my whole heart. Let's get into the former with this week's drops.
Music
EARTHGANG - Love You More feat. T-Pain (From the upcoming Perfect Fantasy. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
BabyTron - Really Jimmy? (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Ab-Soul - All That feat. JasonMartin Thirsty P (From Soul Burger, out 11/8. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Illingsworth - tracing (From shaded, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
JasonMartin - Poridge feat. Jay Worthy & Mitchy Slick (Out now. YouTube loosie.)
Willie The Kid & V Don - Stay Connected (From Deutsche Marks 4, out now. Purchase: Vinyl via RRC, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Lee Scott - starfish (From la scala, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Larry June - Three Piece (From Doing It For Me, out now. Purchase: Physicals and merch from Larry's official site, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Curren$y & Dj.Fresh - NSX (From The Encore, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
ShowYouSuck - WOMEN BE SHOPPING (From NUEVO CHINA BUFFET, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal)
Chelsea Wolfe - Place In The Sun (Unbound) (From Unbound EP, out on 11/15. Preorder/Purchase: Bandcamp | Bioluminescene vinyl w/etched B-side via Loma Vista Recordings (It's sold out, but you can sign up for updates if they reup), Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Silas Short - L-Train (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
A tribute to Ka. From the YouTube description:
"With the sudden news of KA’s passing, I feel that it’s only right to give a tribute to one of the artists who inspired this whole renaissance/grown man rap wave. I wrote this track months ago but I felt like I should release it as a tribute to him, as the whole song was written to try and give you the feelings his music gave."
Jimmie D & Nicholas Craven - Fallen (Out now, on YouTube.)
myquale - Fin. (Q60 Mix) (From Above All, out on 10/25. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek - Cool Hand (Live at Diamond Mine Studio) (From the Cool Hand b/w Yakamoz 7", out on 10/27. Preorder: Bandcamp | Big Crown Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Blu & Exile - The Ominous World feat. RBX & Tamara Blue (From Love (the) Ominous World, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl, digital, and merch via Dirty Science, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Ron Obasi - TOO SIRIUS (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
DJ Muggs, Crimeapple, & RLX - Stirring (From Los Pollos Hermanos, out now. Purchase: Vinyl and other physical formats via Soul Assassins, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify | YouTube)
Q No Rap Name - Foyer EP (Out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Duncecap & steel tipped dove - Is That A Spot (From The Need To Know, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Jay Cinema & Chow - Genie (From ALCDELUXE, out 11/6. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Hemlock Ernst & Icky Reels - Hold the Wires on Ellis feat. Egyptian Lover (From Studying Absence, out now. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Low End Activist - TWOC (From Municipal Dreams, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Sweatson Klank - End Credits (From Inner Works, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Audrey Nuna - Baby OG (From Trench, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Wynne - Bad Girl (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Blvck Spvde & The Cosmos - Overjoyed Through The Noise (From Overjoyed Through The Noise, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl, cassettes, and CD via Mello Music Group, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Tinashe - No Broke Boys (From Quantum Baby, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Kurious - Separation Anxiety (From Majician, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals, merch, and digital via Gas Drawls/Metalface Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
MILC & Chuck Strangers - Tofu (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
MIKE - Pieces of a Dream (Out now. Purchase: 10k Global, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Danny Brown - Cheaters (From Quaranta (Deluxe Edition), out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Warp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify | YouTube)
Cavalier & Child Actor - Sacrifice (From CINE, out on 11/15. Preorder: Vinyl and CD via Backwoodz Studioz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Lord OLO & Televangel - ANYDAY (From Demon Slayer, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Fatboi Sharif & steel tipped dove - Travel With Caution (From Decay (Deluxe), out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Deluxe version on cassette via Backwoodz Studioz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
OKnice - Soul Stretch (From Talking To My Dogs, out 10/29. Preorder: Bandcamp)
Vinson - Amistad feat. Open Mike Eagle (From knowledge of self EP, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
The Armed - Martyr Song (From Everlasting Gaze, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Three vinyl colorways via Hello Merch, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Marysia Osu - memento mori feat. YUIS (From harp, beats & dreams, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
DJ Rude One - Make It Hot feat. RXKNephew (From Upper Space, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Sleepdealer - My Fault (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Fiona Apple - Lately (Don Heffington cover) (From Tonight I'll Go Down Swingin': A Tribute To Don Heffington, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)
Playlists
TIDAL
BNCMPR
YouTube
That does it for this week. Be sure to share this with your folks, and don't hesitate to let me know what you're listening to this weekend down in the comments. Take care, make good choices, and go make something for yourself or enjoy art that someone made with their whole heart.
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