Evan Nabavian is packing for a Magic City residency
Atlanta yields ever weirder rap music despite, or perhaps because of, the influence of strip club DJs. Removed from Magic City, the connoisseur navigates LiveMixtapes, SoundCloud, and Traps N Trunks for pearls like “DUI” by Jose Guapo. The track eschews textbook trap rap for a lonely corner of the strip club or the stupor of the 4AM ride home. OG Parker’s beat is somber 80s synth pop, if not for the bass and hi-hat rolls. You’ll either love or hate the high-pitched neon synth line that’s unlike anything you’ve heard on a rap song.
Guapo’s unhinged delivery recalls Lil Wayne’s John Lennon complex and Danny Brown’s vices. The QC rapper is good for a few bangers and the unfortunately titled Osama Bin Guapo mixtape (you don’t need to see the cover). Meanwhile, Quavo sings a pristine, ad-lib free solo like he’s watching the stars through the caved-in ceiling of the bando. He and Guapo aren’t immune to brag raps–they’ll punch you in the face and take off with your girl in a spaceship–but they stop to consider, fleetingly, that they’ve had too much to drink.
