Deen doesn’t care what you don’t like.
Given recent events (which we won’t link to), it’s nice to hear some fire ass Chicago music that one can enjoy guilt-free. Even better is the fact that it doesn’t sound like Memphis revivalist shit masquerading under whatever new moniker the industry (or whoever is in charge of making up new rap sub-genres) has decided to give it. I.E. Crunk, Trap or Drill.
King L (formerly known as King Louie) is, for my money, the most entertaining “new” cat outta Chicago’s new rap scene. His Showtime mixtape was an enjoyable listen and I think he’s responsible for my favorite dance of the year: the Val Venis. It’s nice to learn that he knows exactly how to employ his budget checks on the right features – something one of his guests, Pusha T, could do a better job of. I want to stay mad at Pusha for that damp squib of a song he made with Future, but I can’t. This is essentially the first time in a long while that he’s managed to sound different. Can’t put my finger on exactly what he’s doing differently on this verse (I guess toying with the flow and delivery a bit?), but he really earns his check on this one. Good for King L, who doesn’t get outshined by any means. As for Juicy J, I’ve reached a point in my fan-dom where it feels a bit like blasphemy to attempt to objectively evaluate his work. They all sound equally ratchet, trippy, hilarious and awesome and for that I am thankful. He even made sure to throw in plenty of “Heys” and “Yeah Hoes” – just beautiful.
All that said, the real star of the show is the production, via Yung Berg of all people. I guess he fanuted his constant humiliations into a really dope exhibition of talent. If he keeps making shit this good without getting robbed, then’ll I’ll have to respectfully request that people stop robbing and slapping him all the time. Detroit, please take note. Combining trance with newish rap drums isn’t a new trick – shouts to The BlockBeattaz – but it’s been a minute since I heard a producer pull off the combo so effectively without some lame like Stalley ruining the damn track. Add in that screwed hook (they really gotta clean that up for radio ASAP) and I’m effectively listening to one of my favorite songs of the year.
Yeah, it’s another song about drugs – MDMA to be specific, but I’ll never feel guilty about (or admit to) drug use. Parent your damn kids already. Don’t do drugs.
Speaking of guilt, parenting and drugs, I just hate when THIS happens. “This” being the moment I yield to the charms of the latest rapping coon I previously disapproved of. The crazy thing is that it seems to happen more often the older I get – strange, given that I once thought that a one sign of maturity would be the “tightening” of my sense of humor. No dice there. I told a fart joke on a date with a really beautiful woman the other night (hit me on twitter for more details). With Weezy, it was the twin salvos of “Touch It Or Not” and Carter 2. With Waka, it was all of Flockaveli, with Jeezy it was the “3AM” off his 2nd album and with DeuxCadenas, it was the 50 Cent remix of “Riot”
Now Sultan Keef joins the illustrious ranks of shite rappers that have made songs I hate that I like (love is still a step too far). Shit just kills me inside. I can’t fight it anymore. This “Love Sosa” shit just sounds incredible to me. That’s not to say that “300” or “Don’t Like” weren’t cool, but those took repeated listens to register with this old man. “Love Sosa” hit the spot right away. Pause.
In order to listen to this song as often as possible, I’ve basically created versions of Baby Face Killa, good kid mAAd city and Life Is Good that have “Love Sosa” inserted in between each track. It’s that serious. For the record, this idea works best with Kendrick’s album. I’m sure you can figure that one out on your own.
Anyway, this mumbling filthy child has managed to reach something approaching a mastery of Prodigy’s shitty post-“Takeover” flow. In other words, by combining memorable enough hooks with a heavy focus on cadence, nihilism and hedonism, Chief Keef has ensnared this listener. I can’t fully enjoy this shit due to the random shit swirling around the kid and the rest of his crew, but I’ll confess that it’s beginning to sound doper to me by the minute.
Maybe I ought to quit fucking with Chicago rap as a whole. I’m too old and not Catholic enough to be trading in guilt. It’s not as if I’d be missing out on anything excellent given that Kanye is the flagship artist outta the Chi and he kinda sucks these days. Then again, I’d just be depriving myself. This decision would probably be a lot easier if I had kids. I could raise the hypothetical nigglets properly and use their potential contributions to society to inoculate myself from any guilty feelings triggered by listening to Chief Keef and his cohorts.
Maybe I’m just over-thinking this shit. I’mma go listen to that King L song again – I’ll probably figure it out somewhere in the middle of that Juicy J verse. I always figure shit out during Juicy J verses…
Download/Stream:
MP3: Chief Keef – Love Sosa (Left-Click)
