Mano Sundaresan was once chased by a white Bronco in his gold El Dorado.
Desto Dubb – “Bankteller (feat. Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Pump, Smokepurpp & 03 Greedo)” (prod. Fizzle)
This is one of those songs they’re going to talk about in five years with an air of disbelief. I can already imagine a rap nerd posting this with the caption Greedo had a song with Pump and Uzi? on whatever post-Twitter hellscape we wring our souls through next.
Recorded the night before 03 Greedo began his 20-year sentence, “Bankteller” is a snapshot of the absurdism that could only emerge from locking these five disparate talents in a studio. The glue here is Fizzle’s relentless keyboard riff, over which the rappers sound like 8-bit sprites. The verses are tiny distillations of personality. Greedo’s “what I can’t tell her” chant cuts into Lil Pump’s response (“that I just fucked her daughter”) moaned out in a compressed warble akin to the teacher’s in Charlie Brown. Uzi mentions that he’s a rockstar (in case we forgot) and pulls off a Fairly Odd Parents reference. The showstopper is Desto Dubb, who sets down his pint to fire off some triplet flows, including a bar about sending someone dinner for fellatio. Greedo’s chorus is about drug money, but I don’t think anyone else took that cue.
Action Bronson – “White Bronco” (prod. Daringer & The Special Victims Unit)
Bam Bam’s back. Effervescent keys tumble into effortless brags over a Daringer world beater. We know to expect cheeky extravagance from Action Bronson at this point, but that doesn’t mean he can’t push it even further. He reminds you that he’s eating off a bestselling cookbook (FUCK THAT’S DELICIOUS in stores now) and living the life most readers of this site aspire for: bumping Janet Jackson alone in the whip with enough money to turn it into a spaceship.
Cousin Stizz – “Made” (prod. Lil Rich)
What I distinctly remember from the interview I did with Cousin Stizz a year and a half ago is how much he stanned Max B. He was naming songs off the Public Domain tapes like it was common knowledge. I’m surprised it took him this long to start a song with “Free Max B.” Stizz is six for six between the two EPs he just dropped, by the way.
Chester Watson – “40 Acres” (prod. Tufu)
Once a prodigious teenager obsessed with rappers and rapping, Chester Watson is now 21. Still wise and talented beyond his years but searching for answers deeper than his medium. Gone are the raps for rap’s sake. On “40 Acres,” Watson peers inward, unearthing truths about his aspirations. “Imma need them 40 acres now” is something you’d expect a disillusioned rap veteran to say, not a budding twenty-something. Watson sounds mentally exhausted on the melancholy Tufu beat. His voice aims slightly higher than monotone, giving it a casual tone that is gripping enough to not sound mundane. The lilts are tiny blips in the transmission; this is no-gimmicks introspective rap. Of course, it comes with a standard dose of Chester Watson gems. “Douche bags tryna milk the kid, he a goat” is a tantalizing one-two punch.
ATL Smook & 10KDunkin – “All I Kno” (prod. JBAND$)
SoundCloud bliss. JBAND$’s stacked melodies saturate every crevice like watercolor. ATL Smook and 10KDunkin leave space for the soundscape, slipping in flows where the beat sighs. Check for Atlanta’s underground.
