Deen is on the block like he’s eight feet tall
I don’t recall exactly how I learned that Gangsta Gibbs and the legendary/destined to be foreverly underrated, yet, I suspect, properly paid producer, Mike Dean were working together. I imagine that it was either via Twitter, Instagram or both, given that I haven’t learned anything new from any other source in about 3 years. I figured these two souls would stumble into each eventually, especially after Gibbs worked with Uncle Scarface on what remains 2014’s best project, Pinata, but that didn’t mean I was any less geeked about the prospect of Gibbs going in on a Mike Dean soundscape.
I could be mistaken but I think they linked up somewhere between the time Jay-Z dropped that marketing exercise disguised as a shitty album and 1 B.Y. (‘Before Yeezus’), so I’ve been super curious and eager to hear what the songs would sound like. In other words, I had no earthly clue of what a Mike Dean beat would have sounded like in 2013 (or 2014) and my closest (and admittedly wrong) guess was the shit he did with Travis Scott and Wondagirl on Magna Carter Holy Grail. So I waited.
Well, color me pale and black(er?) because Mike Dean just gave the homie the most Goth/Horror/80s New Wave beat to dance over. I shit you not, this song would fit right in on the soundtrack for ‘The Guest’ – find a way to see that if you haven’t – or next to more obvious bands like The Cure or Joy Division. Yeah, I know too; never thought I’d write that about a rap song but here we are. I’d like to think that Yeezus wouldn’t have been such a polarizing album if it sounded less like whatever the fuck it was and more like this shit. I just chuckled at that last sentence because I know Mike Dean and Kanye work together, so I’m wondering how… you know what? Fuck it.
This is far from anything Gibbs (or anyone really – maybe some early El-P stuff I never bothered with?) has rapped over in his career till date and it’s nice to see him continue to find new ways to say the same things, because let’s face it, he’s kinda prolific. Maybe not Currensy level prolific, but 2 projects a year ain’t shit to sneeze at either – especially if they’re actually great. Throw in some pitch shifting on hook along with other vocal effects and you’re listening to one of the most interesting and unique rap songs you’ve heard in a minute. This shit alone might make the new next-gen Grand Theft Auto V worth the purchase for a stan like me. Just kidding, but this shit is fucking nails…
