PLUGGED IN: November 2021
Your monthly dose of essential rap music listening (does NOT include the rest of the essential records of the month covered through other written content, podcast reviews and interviews, or Patreon-only content).
Andrew Mbaruk & Vellum Bristol - Ultraviolet Flamingo
Ultraviolet Flamingo is a claustrophobically dense experience that pushes the very limits of what rapping and beats can sound like. Or, simply put, Ultraviolet Flamingo is a true mindf***.
The main lyrical presence on this album is Andrew Mbaruk, a Vancouver-native who brings a unique brand of esoteric, hyper-philosophical lyrics that are really captivating. Throughout this album, Andrew delivers a bevy of strange observations that tackle modern day societal ills and norms, with an extremely nuanced and detailed perspective. He isn’t just throwing out generic takes on the world. I also appreciate that, as a Canadian, he brings a perspective from up north that I particularly can relate to. At first, his delivery may seem a bit too out there. But once you get used to it, Andrew’s sly, dry, and darkly humourous way of rapping is oddly charming.
Vellum Bristol, aka the producer-moniker of jouquin fox, has been an absolute gem that I am happy to have found in 2021. In my recent ‘3 Keys’ piece on his WOLFOXE collaborative album with Virgil Wolfe, I discussed how unique his brand of musical experimentation is. It sounds like musical deconstruction to me. It’s filled with elements of glitch, electronic, and industrial, all packaged together with an ever-evolving layer of sound manipulation and mutation that is so goddamn engaging.
It’s on Ultraviolet Flamingo, however, where Bristol elevated the bar even further. There is a monumental energy behind these instrumentals that is brilliant. On “The Freedom of the Poet”, the musical shifts are absolutely mind-melting and mesmerizing. The insane free-jazz sampling “Digitally Interwebbed” is another genius song, with Andrew and jouquin finding a pocket amidst an absolutely chaotic beat. To top it off, Mantis the Miasma provided a couple of beats too, and a guest verse, that added a nice change of pace that still fit within this one-of-one musical world that Andrew and Bristol created.
I cannot get enough of this album. It is truly one of the most singularly impressive albums I’ve heard in a long-time, due to the sheer ingenious nature of it all. Please listen to this, you won’t regret it!
RMPP Preferred Cut: “The Freedom of the Poet”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
Aesop Rock & Blockhead - Garbology
Underground heavyweights, and creators of multiple widely-acclaimed records, Aesop Rock and Blockhead are back with their latest collaborative album, Garbology. After a string of self-produced albums under his belt in recent years, I was curious to see if linking up with Blockhead again would bring something new to the table to the veteran MC’s catalog… and I believe it actually did.
More than what he typically has in the past, and certainly more than his past fantasy-filled Spirit World Field Guide album from 2020, Aesop is rooting his lyrically-dense narratives with himself as the main character. He details his personality that is viewed as rigid to most, including some poignant social commentary on “Difficult”, a true standout track. “That is Not a Wizard” is a great encapsulation of Rock’s lyrical approach, dropping very cutting bars that also give you a glimpse into his own personality, such as:
“I hate praising net worth over legwork/I hate ceding all the power to the extroverts”
… ”We make shepherds and shadow ‘em to the netherworld”
Throughout the years, Blockhead has been tweaking his tried and true sound, particularly on his dope collaborative albums with billy woods from the mid-2010s that saw him update his boom bap and sample-based fundamentals with more elements of live instrumentation. The fruits of this musical evolution are found all over Garbology, sporting a nice musical richness in the percussion, drums, and guitar work, particularly on standouts like “All Day Breakfast” and “Jazz Hands”. This sound also replaces Aesop’s usually eccentric and odd production style, with instrumentals that are a bit more accessible and easy to latch on to.
Garbology is my favourite Aesop Rock album since Impossible Kid, with production that is probably my favourite on an Aesop album since None Shall Pass. A very worthy addition to an already great catalog.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Difficult”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
Mansdem - Mansy Koufax
Mansdem is a rapper that I have really started to recognize as a dope MC in recent months, particularly through his guest spots on BLOODBLIXING’s FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD. He possesses a great vocabulary and eloquence in how he structures his rhymes. Luckily for us, this lyrical ability has now been paired with the capable hands of rapper and producer, Iceberg Theory, who handles the production on Mansy Koufax. Although I have enjoyed Mansdem’s past projects, Mansy Koufax feels different. The lyrical and production quality have all improved significantly.
Lyrically, this is clearly the most fulsome view of who Mansdem is as a person, and the come-up he’s currently in the midst of. “Under the Underground” is an exciting introduction to Mansdem’s mission statement, seeing Mansdem rap with a purpose, detailing the tenacity he brings towards his career and his craft. “The Good Highs & The Bad” is a nice introspective view into Mansdem as a person, which I am intrigued to hear more of in the future. Above all though, Mansdem is simply a great lyricist who can put together rhymes in very clever ways, as he does so confidently on “Czech Hedgehog”.
The instrumentals on this album are fundamentally sound, meaning these beats are well-balanced, and really check all the boxes you’d typically want in a hip-hop beat, specifically as it relates to the drums. I really love the way Iceberg Theory lays the drum lines throughout this album. They are consistently crisp, and layered atop well-fitting sampled sounds. “Hand-Knit Ralph Sweater” and “Hawking & Penrose” showcase these chunky drums and nicely chosen supporting samples so well. “Koufax on the Sabbath” is another great example of Ice’s skillful sample-layering, featuring classical and jazz elements mixed into together, creating the best beat on the album in my opinion.
If you aren’t familiar with Mansdem, Mansy Koufax is a great introduction to one of the MCs to watch, as we enter 2022.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Koufax on the Sabbath”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
Listen to/Watch my interview with Iceberg Theory here.
YL - Soda Club
YL has made a name for himself in the New York underground in recent years. This name has been built off of a highly rhythmic and smooth flow, over what has predominantly been sample-based production, akin to what has been popular from that region in the past couple of years. However, on his new album Soda Club, YL switched up his formula.
Soda Club features trap instrumentals that possess a somewhat off-kilter feeling to many of them, which I thought was intriguing. Spearheaded by Tony Seltzer, a producer with many credits on this album, the sound is vibrant as hell. No better moment than the addictive “Weezy”, with it drowsy groove and amazing drums.
On the rapping side of the coin, YL is consistently fun and clever in his rhymes. These tracks often feature funny punchlines, and typically rapid flows from YL. This is the type of album that I’d like to play at a party, since its both accessible, and still packed with quality hip-hop elements. As someone who does value being social and attending parties, quality hip-hop that has a commercial or accessible feel is always something I appreciate.
At just 24 minutes, this album is short and to the point. It doesn’t try and do too much, and just rides front to back as a very enjoyable listen.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Weezy”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
2 Dolla Will & jdmasters - Elaine Benes
2 Dolla Will has had himself an incredibly busy 2021. Having released so much music, it’s not always the easiest to discern what album is the “big one”, the one that an artist put their absolute entire foot into. Up until now, his Iceberg Theory-produced Bad Man from Red Butte was the notable exception, as it was billed as a true country-rap experience (and was amazing, check out my ‘3 Keys’ piece on the album here).
That being said, Elaine Benes, a Seinfeld-themed collaborative album with producer jdmasters, did feel different. I felt this mainly due to a distinct level-up in terms of the presentation of the music, from the album cover to a dope music video for “Empire Street Raps” (see below), which is the first true music video that I believe 2 Dolla Will has released.
As for how this perceived levelling-up translated to the music, from a rapping perspective, Will is as focused as he ever has been. Not only are his raps on point, they strike a slightly different tone. Obviously his usual wheelhouse of cougar, spliffs and Butte lyrical content are present once again. However, there is a bit more of a sense of seriousness or confidence, where Will is really flexing his skill and making sure that you show respect. “Sue Ellen Mischke” is a standout on this album, where Will’s punchlines and mic presence have never been stronger.
The production provided by jdmasters was also an improvement, as this is the best batch of beats I have heard from him to-date. These instrumentals feel like the cleanest and most refined sound that 2 Dolla has ever worked with. It gives this album a certain level of polish that I liked. His beats also give Will’s music a new dimension of actually being something that sounds nice in a car’s sound system. The sitar-sampling “8 Quarters” is a genuine banger that features a catchy hook from Budda, which gives me a vibe from Will’s music that I haven’t heard before. There’s also prominent usage of soul-samples to great effect, like on “Supreme Cougar Anthem”, which gives Will’s top-tier comedic raps an earnest feel that is so nice.
Elaine Benes is nothing outside of what I have come to love and expect from 2 Dolla Will. However, it does update his usual formulas, and builds off of his foundational style, delivering one of his absolute best albums yet.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Sue Ellen Mischke”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
For more quality hip-hop content, listen to/watch The Rap Music Plug Podcast wherever you’d like: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube.
