PLUGGED IN: October 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).
Nelson Bandela - God Dad Bod
*I know this technically dropped in late September, but I didn’t check this out in time of the last edition of Plugged In. Also that month was wild, so give me a break!
Nelson Bandela not only dons an incredible artist name. He also dons an impressive musical vision that is almost impossible to quantify.
Bandela’s music is partly an angelic and spiritual take on neo-soul and R&B that gives his sound a nice dream-like quality. It also features reflective lyricism delivered through both singing, and rapping. The instrumentals often possess an intimacy, along with a bold genre-bending quality that spans from hip-hop, to synth-laced R&B.
Honing on the production a bit more, I was very impressed with how seamless the drum-heavy high BPM tempos were weaved into the more minimal passages of keys and mesmerizing ambience, which often makes space for the singing and choir-like vocals to take centerstage. Similarly to the production, this album transitions from traditional rapping to gorgeous melodic refrains with the drop of a dime. “007 Issaait” is a great illustration of this dynamic. The presence of Swarvy in particular producing a large portion of this album, gives this album a ton of texture in the percussion department.
Lyrically, Nelson is vulnerable and transparent as can be in his verses. I love the perspective and honesty he brings on “008 God Dad Bod”, which is a consistent trait on the entirety of God Dad Bod. The closing track is basically a life-lesson to his son in song-form, and is also one of a few songs on this LP supported by a strong guest list that included the likes of Nappy Nina, Pink Siifu, and Illingsworth.
God Dad Bod is a beautifully wholesome album that immerses you into themes related to family, growth and evolving for the better. It’s a a soul-cleansing experience that you will not want to miss.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “006 Utopia”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
cunabear & vast ness. - Big Sun King
*I know this technically dropped in late September, but I didn’t check this out in time of the last edition of Plugged In. Also that month was wild, so give me a break!
Recorded in Soulfolks Records, a sacred space used by R.A.P. Ferreira’s Ruby Yacht Collective, cunabear and vast ness.’ Big Sun King embodies the poetic, spiritual, and philosophical elements that we have come to expect from this famed rap group. They successfully transport you on a spiritual meditation that will give you real perspective, and a sense of gratitude for what you have in life.
Lyrically, what I appreciate the most from cunabear’s performance is that he doesn’t explore just the surface of these mindfulness topics. He is an open book, and makes the subject matter very tangible for the listener. His honesty was on full display on the intro, where he rapped:
“If god made me in his image then he too is flawed and confused/Counter-balance all that prowess with ignorance & a litany of random encounters and catch yourself countered
Fused to the stasis/Both connected and adjacent to the very life you’re living
The one who collects the soul ain’t so forgiving/Less empowered than you wanna be”
The level of clear-headed observations and strong poetic imagery is a real draw for me on Big Sun King. His vocal delivery is also very expressive, which allows cuna to be flexible in the exact chords he decides to strike in his rhymes.
The skits too are essential threads in the thematic fabric of the record, spearheaded by the beautifully thought-provoking “Return to the ZenGarden”. This song is a real centerpiece to this album, expanding on this idea of a “warrior in a garden” that is really powerful to say the least.
The appeal of Big Sun King though isn’t just the lyricism though. The production handled by vast ness. has a nice organic feel to it, enhancing the intimacy in cuna’s rhymes. These instrumentals incorporate jazz to a significant degree, like the beautifully vast (pun definitely intended) “Sunshowers at Sunset”, along with elements of glitch-hop that are combined really well. The intro track is one of my favourite beats here, which features great sample work, but also mixes in the thematic skits atop the instrumental in an engaging way. vast’s ability to make these non-rapping moments interesting is a big reason why Big Sun King succeeds as a full body of work.
Listen to this album if you’re in need of a hug. It’ll help. I promise.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Vandal(isms)”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
YUNGMORPHEUS & Eyedress - Affable with Pointed Teeth
I have been up on YUNGMORPHEUS since the beginning of 2021, which certainly does not mark the beginning of his career. Yet, it still has been a real pleasure seeing his growth in this short period of time, seeing improvement with each project that he has dropped this year. His latest album with producer Eyedress, Affable with Pointed Teeth, punctuates Morph’s strengths and gives him a fitting sonic soundscape to work within.
If you are already familiar with YUNGMORPHEUS, you won’t be surprised by anything you’ll hear lyrically on this album. That being said, I would say that there is a noticeable improvement in the lyrical focus, and his ability to articulate his thoughts. His lyrical content is often confrontational and radical to many, but the way he boils his ideas down to “brass tacks” (or gets to “the protein” as Logan Roy from Succession would say) on this LP is the strongest it has ever been. Finally, I will always appreciate Morph’s seedy, somewhat mysterious aura that interestingly juxtaposes with his ruthlessly blunt lyrical content. It makes his subject matter, which heavily revolves around topics like racism and police brutality, hit in a different way than most other music exploring these same topics.
Eyedress’ production succeeds in how it supports Morph’s lyrical efforts. While being an interesting rapper as I previously described, Morph’s raps on an aesthetic level rarely vary. Therefore, the diverse sound palette Eyedress works with on Affable is a great fit. He has a strong handle on creating warm textures in these instrumentals, which blends nicely with Morph’s vocal timbre that is raspy and smooth as hell. Eyedress also provides enough variation within the album’s production, seeing him include some mid-tempo head-nodders like “County Line Rd”, some more groovy west-coast jams like “Slim Fit Peacoats”, as well as some serenely pretty instrumentals too like “Red Spheres”.
Affable with Pointed Teeth is a fundamentally-strong record from top to bottom with very few lulls or filler in the tracklist. It also features the most refined songwriting from YUNGMORPHEUS to-date as well, especially on tracks like “What the Stakes Is”, where its “what’s the reason” refrain is absolutely an ear-worm.
I highly recommend Affable with Pointed Teeth for folks who are looking for some substance in their raps, but don’t want to sacrifice any degree of musicality or style. This album is for you.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “What the Stakes Is”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
Koncept Jack$on & Morriarchi - A Graceful Snafu
Koncept Jack$on has quickly become one of my favourite rappers in the underground, ever since he dropped his fantastic Ohbliv collaborative album earlier in 2021. The flow gymnastics he proceeds to do on every track he touches is genuinely one-of-a-kind. Koncept has the type of flow that can rap over pocket-less, or rapid tempo beats, like he did on Jet MagaZINE ‘21 Reissue with Ohbliv. On A Graceful Snafu with UK producer Morriarchi, Jack$on tries his luck with the dreamiest beats he’s worked with to-date.
In the past, Koncept has certainly rapped over soulful beats. That being said, I don’t think he has rapped over beats like this ever before. Morriarchi, an unknown producer to me prior, immediately drew me into his sound of absolutely beautiful warmth, and calming vibes. The tone he struck on the closing song is just gorgeous, with a subtle guitar and warm haze applied to the drums and the rest of the sounds that makes it feel like it’s washing over you as it plays. This song also highlights a very unexpected element to this album, being its beautiful vocal contributions handled by KAYANA. They are just marvelous, and fit with Morriarchi’s welcoming soundscape perfectly.
On the rapping side of things, Koncept Jack$on is still rapping with his impressively dizzying flow. However, the energy behind his raps on much of this album is a bit more calm and intimate. It doesn’t diminish the quality of his performance though, as it sees Jack$on lean into the softer and less flashy side of his style, something he did explore briefly on the more lowkey (by that album’s standards) moments on Jet MagaZINE. No better example than “A Toa$t”, a 2-minute slice of pure elegance, seeing Koncept slow things down just a bit, and rides that romantic instrumental to perfection.
This is such a gorgeous and carefully-produced record, with so many great lyrical and melodic displays. I just wish it was longer! I feel like they could’ve kept it going for another 10-15 minutes, and it would have been just as brilliant… but I did just listen to Big Sun King, so I’m going to try and be grateful for the 16 minutes of bliss that we did get!
RMPP Preferred Cut: “A Toa$t”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
phiik & S!LENCE - THAT WAS A TEST
The title for this album perfectly frames the listening experience of this album. THAT WAS A TEST pushes the bounds of what is “normal” in hip-hop, through its experimental rapping and production.
S!LENCE and phiik relentlessly rap circles around the beats on this album, displaying a level of craftsmanship and skill that is incredibly hard to find. They rap around the pockets that most listeners are typically used to, and the end-result is incredibly refreshing. The two rappers trade bars with a lively energy, with lyrical content that firmly positions the duo in the same tasteful crop of artists moving in the underground right now, such as their GRIP collective counterpart in AKAI SOLO, as well as others like Fatboi Sharif and Semiratruth who both appear on this record as featured guests.
The dynamic energy of the raps is equally reflected in the album’s production that I will attempt to dub as “explosive minimalism”. What I mean by this term is that, these instrumentals often are based on a small number of sounds, but are manipulated and presented in bold and subversive ways that are very intriguing to the ear. ”Celestial Nausea” is my favourite cut on the record, since it really illustrates how out-there the little skips in the sample chops are, while still featuring an element of soul that makes the sound buttery smooth as well.
Released under PTP, I always expect quality. But I hadn’t heard a ton from the duo prior to this, therefore, I was pleased to see them deliver a consistently entertaining record that does a great job of capturing cutting-edge hip-hop lightning in a bottle. There is such a charming and refreshing energy to be found in this record that I cannot recommend enough!
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Celestial Nausea”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
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