PLUGGED IN: September 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).
Mimz - BLOODMONEYMIMZ: MITOSIS
Mimz’s career has been gaining steam in recent months, after a nice collaboration with Dunn titled Infinite Lawn back in April, Mimz has returned with another collaborative project. This time around, they teamed up with Alaskan producer Bloodmoney Perez, for a highly rewarding musical experience that sounds better every time I press play.
Lyrically, as MITOSIS unfolds, we see Mimz progress through a journey of growth, seeing his performances and introspection grow more sure of itself. The lyricism is very introspective, but what makes Mimz’s performances truly strong is the intimacy and honesty within his rhymes.
Mimz also was joined by some dope features, namely Semiratruth who delivered a show-stopping feature on “TITTY SWEAT” that I need to call out, because it was just that good.
The production on Mitosis mirrors this ever-expanding feeling found in the lyrical subject matter, as these beats are thick, jam-packed with texture and life. There are so many layers of sound in these beats that are constantly evolving, all filtered through the trademark warmth of Bloodmoney’s SP-404, producing a gritty and warm sound. The beat on “TITTY SWEAT” is absolutely unbelievable. It features an incredible set of sounds synthesized together terrifically, atop a driving rhythm that completes the instrumental perfectly.
Bloodmoney also doesn’t shy away from some bold sample choices, like on “WEEZING” that impressively weaves in this early-2000s pop punk sound into the instrumental in a remarkably tasteful manner. This track is a definite highlight, and added a nice dose of high-energy to these otherwise mid-tempo tracks.
MITOSIS is a very wholesome listen. The type of music you want to hear when you’re in a tough spot mentally.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “TITTY SWEAT”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
Rich Jones & Killer Kane - Blue Beach
Out of all of the hip-hop projects to release in 2021, Blue Beach is probably the most calming of the bunch. Chicago MC, Rich Jones, teamed up with talented producer, Killer Kane, for a 4-track EP that had a major impact on me.
Rich and Kane successfully transport you on a journey that instantly will bring you a sense of clear-headed peace. This is accomplished through both the exceptional production, and beautiful melodies all over this album.
Starting with the production, Killer Kane creates this spacey atmospheric sound that is really captivating. What makes it even more special is that he equips these beats with really interesting and engaging percussion. The skittering drum fills on “No More Running” are incredibly dynamic, and add a lot of personality to the track.
But the real surprise for me was just how amazingly catchy and beautiful this album was, stemming from Rich Jones’ singing. He combined his typically steady raps with a remarkably soulful singing performance that absolutely delivered. The title track sees Jones provide a soaring chorus that was wildly impressive. “No More Running” could be the best hook though, as Rich sounds so vulnerable, and showcases a great handle of his vocal range.
Blue Beach is a relaxing 13 minute trip into your mind. The perfect EP to play when you want to just sit back, gain some clarity, and center yourself.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “No More Running”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
BLOODBLIXING - STREET CODES 3: GANGSTA EDITION
BLOODBLIXING’s prolific output has ceased to slow down, as he returned to claim another place on a ‘Plugged In’ edition with his latest album, STREET CODES 3: GANGSTA EDITION.
On this latest LP, Blix combines a lot of the sounds of his previous work, creating his most varied project to-date. We still get the trademark loud and heavy drums on this album. But in addition, we also get some R&B sounds that we first heard on his dope collaboration with WHOBEJAZZZ from August, as well as some other changes of pace, such as the triumphant drumless intro, and the g-funk inspired “GANGSTA SHIT FREESTYLE”.
The most incredible switch up on this album though is the breathtaking “MADE IT MY JOB”, which features a verse of the year candidate by Big Flowers.
“Insufficient funds ain’t unlikely if I’m moving with love.”
The instrumental Blix crafted is brilliant on this track too, boasting some strings and other pretty instrumentation around the vocals that envelop Flowers like he’s some sort of angel. It’s so beautiful.
There are some more straightforward jams here too that work brilliantly, such as “DIMES NICKLES PENNIES” that features great verses from Blix and Slayton Dixon, and a really catchy groove. Finally, the outro is super creative and cool… featuring yours truly ;).
Street Codes 3 is up there with Red Oktober and FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD, as my favourite solo BLOODBLIXING records. It is definitely his most well-rounded in his catalog, serving as a great culmination of the impressive work Blix has put in all year.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “MADE IT MY JOB”
Buy on Bandcamp
Jason Griff & Alaska - Human Zoo
Alaska is an established veteran in hip-hop, who has a deep and vast catalog that spans decades. Despite that, I haven’t been in tune with much of his music over the years, up until recently. What brought Alaska to the forefront of my mind is actually his podcast Call Out Culture, which he co-hosts with fellow artists Zilla Rocca and Curly Castro. His thoughtful and unapologetic commentary on hip-hop culture, and the greater society that it inhabits, was the key aspect of his personality that I appreciated the most. Therefore, I was pleased to see that my recent exploration into his discography yielded similar energy in his lyricism.
Human Zoo’s main attraction is the poignant social commentary from Alaska, which is so nuanced and spot on. I find myself routinely giving figurative prayer emojis to so many of the lines on this album. A terrific example of the strong social commentary is on “Extremely Online” where Alaska attacks “woke culture”, but not in a veiled conservative “oh no the left is cancelling Chapelle (even though he’s on his 256th Netflix special) type beat” sort of way. Instead Alaska is actually bringing forward valid criticism towards the vapid nature of these viral social media movements online, which often masquerade as actual discourse and activism.
Outside of the commentary though, Human Zoo is plainly very entertaining on an aesthetic level. Alaksa’s rhymes all over this project are filled with energy, seeing the veteran MC really flex his pen. The rhyme schemes and wordplay on this album are fantastic, toeing the line between wordiness and catchiness very well. “Juice” in particular is a standout, mainly due to the infectious energy that Alaska and Alex Ludovico bring to the track.
On the production side of things, Jason Griff’s beats excel in the groove and drum departments. “Perfect Tense” features discordant synths that get placed behind a lively drum break and interesting keys, along with a brief kickass beat switch as well. “Extremely Online” features another fantastic production moment with an excellent beat switch, showing how Griff keeps you engaged as a listener, while fitting his beats to grooves that always made Alaska seem comfortable.
In a similar dynamic to Alaska’s raps, Griff’s beats balance off-kilter musical flourishes, and very catchy grooves that makes these songs feel fun. Take “Juice” again as an example, where Griff’s instrumental features earworm synths and fresh drums that makes this track my favourite on the album.
The album ending with a verse from the late great Scorcese was a tasteful touch to end this smartly-crafted project. Human Zoo is not only thoughtful project that gives you some food for thought, but it’s genuinely a very entertaining listen as well. What more can you ask for?
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Juice”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
Blu - The Color Blu(e)
Los Angeles artist Blu is a legend at this point in his career. Yet he has seen a creative reinvigoration in recent years punctuated by his 2020 double-disc opus, Miles. On this album, Blu dug into jazz rap in a very comprehensive way, with help from his frequent collaborator, Exile.
Now just one year after that immense record was released, Blu surprised the rap world and dropped another full-length project. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical that Blu would have enough creative juice left, only a year removed from the incredible Miles… but I’m glad I was wrong.
Once again, Blu and his production team (mainly led by Sirplus, with help from Exile and J57 as well) crafted another heavily jazz-inspired sound for this latest project, with a bit more of a traditional boom-bap flavour in the drums and the record-scratching. I’m happy Blu and team kept with this sound, because the beats here feel rich, and lively.
Speaking of rich… “Because the Sky is Blu(e)” was a particular eyebrow-raising beat, as it featured some warped sitar (?), and a prominent sample from a very popular rock group (not trying to sample snitch here) that I was plainly shocked to hear was sampled. Otherwise, “You Ain’t Never Been Blu(e)” was one of the strongest pure jazz rap instrumentals, with a great natural swing in the drums and keys that sounded fantastic. Overall, the sound pallet of this album features really intricate percussion, and impressive sampling that adds a lot of soul.
As for the lyricism, Blu is still rapping at a high-level. As evidenced by the album title and song titles, Blu does what he has done many times before in his career. Which is to play with the word “blue” and his name Blu, weaving it into many of his rhymes and song concepts. This kind of consistent form of wordplay could get played out really quick, if in the hands of an inferior MC. However, Blu is anything but, weaving narratives around this blue concept, creating songs that aesthetically please but also are very thoughtful. This is an impressive lyrical skill that reminds me a lot of an Elzhi, in particular.
Blu is still bringing a lot of substance to his rhymes that seem to center around depression and achieving mental peace. Particularly on tracks like “I Was Born to Be Blu(e)”, Blu speaks on depression and the different mental prisons that people can find themselves trapped in. Atop another very notable sample, Blu continues down this meaningful lyrical path on “Blu(e)r Than Blu(e)” on another highlight on the album.
The Color Blu(e) is a late-career success from Blu, showing that he is aging as gracefully as one could hope.
RMPP Preferred Cut: “Because the Sky is Blu(e)”
Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
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