Image via YoungThreat/Instagram
Donald Morrison was accused of listening to “football Cali rap” on his Spotify Wrapped this year, and it nearly sent him into a rage.
X4 – “Giannis” (feat. Lefty Gunplay & Dody6)
X4 couldn’t have picked a better time to drop “Giannis.” The Hit-Boy produced song finds X4 teaming up with fellow Rollin 40s Crip Dody6 and Baldwin Park’s Lefty Gunplay, both riding high after being featured on Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album, GNX. It’s not the first time X4 has linked with Lefty Gunplay and Hit-Boy, who adeptly morphs his sound to fit X4’s calm and collected approach.
This happens to be one of Hit-Boy’s best beats in recent memory. And it’s a treat to see street rappers like X4 and Dody6 work with a producer who also works with Beyonce. X4 rises to the occasion with a memorable hook and first verse. He steals the show in almost every song he’s on and one has to wonder what an X4 and Kendrick song would sound like. Perhaps one day we’ll find out. “Giannis” also proves that Lefty Gunplay isn’t the god-awful rapper the internet seems to think he is. Although this verse doesn’t exactly clear his name, it does go a long way towards establishing him as one of the premier artists and personalities coming out of LA.
BossMan Dlow – “What You Need” (feat. NoCap)
BossMan Dlow has mastered the art of the simple and effective hook. This year has seen him fill in the space once occupied by artists like Dolph or Gucci, making the type of effortless trap that glides between strip club soundtrack and radio appeal. And like those two, BossMan makes music that feels bigger than it is with a special battering ram voice – one that can be both deep and high-pitched, depending on what’s being said.
BossMan has said he started rapping in 2019 while serving time in county jail. He had his first big hit with “Get In With Me,” and received a GloRilla feature for the remix to “Finesse.” The way this year has gone for him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes the industry’s go-to feature artist in 2025. He appears to have cracked some eccentric Floridian code, a goofy seriousness that’s extremely fun to listen to, but still has a little bit of depth.
The ceiling is high for an artist like this should he keep churning out slight alterations to his current formula. The infectious line from “What You Need” comes from the chorus, when BossMan says “left Klub24 and blew a damn 30/ pull up, hop out cleaner then some damn detergent.” But like all great hitmakers, it’s not necessarily what he says, but how he says it: the pause after “30,” and the use of damn as an adjective that makes the hook stand out.
YoungThreat – “Headtaps”
YoungThreat is from what is widely considered LA’s most hated gang: the Hoover Criminals, a South Central crew known for wearing orange instead of blue and red, and for beefing with everyone. (The infamous Crip Mac has “Hoovah Killer” tattooed on his forehead for a reason, but that’s another story.) YoungThreat was also featured prominently on Kendrick’s GNX, with easily the most memorable verse on the project that didn’t come from Kendrick himself or AzChike. His inclusion was a good choice for Kendrick’s bid to bolster the “LA gang unity” message originally delivered at The Pop Out in June.
YoungThreat is the real deal. The paranoia and sharp pain of gang life is easily felt when listening to an artist like him, someone whose voice can convey the energy of an entire neighborhood forgotten and misunderstood. He’s been dropping songs sporadically on Youtube for more than three years. His whispered and drowned out voice is indebted to the stylings of Drakeo The Ruler and Ralfy The Plug before him. “Headtaps” is more melancholic than his other songs, less assertive and less emotionally closed-off.
A majority of LA street rap these days is about daily life in county jails, which are painted in the music as a rite of passage for young men. It’s a controlled environment that acts as a series of bravery tests for gang members, reenacted within the music. “Headtaps” is no different, with YoungThreat saying “LA County run your fades, that shit regular-degular, we can do this every day.” It’s details like this that let listeners know YoungThreat is speaking to a very specific audience. And yet ironically, this specificity is what makes YoungThreat’s music so captivating, a portal into one of the most misunderstood neighborhoods in America.
EBK Young Joc – “Now I’m Mad”
“Now I’m Mad” begins with a haunting but very-much-alive violin melody that could be easily placed at the beginning of any A24 movie. The entire production feels very cinematic as EBK Young Joc begins one of his more fiery songs this year. He’s so animated that Youtube commenters are wondering if he quit drinking lean. If we’re to judge by the video, the answer is a resounding no. The Stockton-based rapper has never been known for his subtleties, and “Now I’m Mad” is no exception. He’s still finding clever ways to brag about his street bonafides, like when he says “I put a switch on every glock, you can’t run from that,” followed by a long pause and then “And I know you can’t.”
