I’m sure you know this already; but it’s not really Saturday – I just thought it’d be more advantageous to use a senseless holiday such as Labor Day to educate everyone who is probably bored wondering “why is this a holiday?”. This version of the Saturday Seminar is going to take on a bit of a different purpose. Rather than just putting you on one particular artist that I feel like you should listen to, I’m just going to share a playlist of things that I haven’t stopped listening to and provide reasons as to why you should listen to them to. None of these records have any legitimate congruence, but they are all really good. Okay? Here we go.
1) Angelo Mota – alive (ft. SIIMBA LIIVES LONG)
Angelo Mota is someone that I’m pretty sure I just came across through the six degrees of separation on Twitter, but boy am I ecstatic that I did. He was quick to hit me with a follow-back and direct messaged me his project: Crystal Avenue. The entire project is almost too captivating to pick just one favorite, but alive (featuring SIIMBA LIIVES LONG) probably stands out as my personal favorite. Angelo is able to paint vivid landscapes through his lyricism and narrating (every song begins with a time-stamp; which I believe might be an attempt to let the listener know just exactly how many long nights were put into the collection). Chicago-based music fans should recognize the production credit from the opening track, which comes from the Windy City’s own Odd Couple.
2) Stephen – Remembering Myself
Stephen is an artist that I discovered through the magical hallways of HypeM, and I’m currently itching for more. His previous hit, the 2-year old Bullet Train, wasn’t my jam as it was a compilation of dubstep-py sounds that I’m not to big on (that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be!). Through his two year absence, and period of growth, it seems that Stephen has carved out a unique sound that he can dub as his own. Remembering Myself puts Stephen up against himself through a battle of “what is life?” as he blends some Blues, R&B, and Rock guitar riffs with a Future Bass sound.
3) Young Thug – Stunna
Young Thug shouldn’t need too much of an introduction here. I’d love to drop some quotables; but this song is full of words that my morals won’t allow me to repeat, so I’ll proceed to just dance like Chief Keef while I listen to this one. You should do the same
4) Fuego – Cuando Suena El Bling (Hotline Bling Remix)
Shout out to Fuego because not only did he drop a hotter remix than the original but he subconsciously is teaching me how to speak Spanish. I actually grabbed the aux chord the other night at a bachelor party and proceeded to play this for about 15 minutes straight before someone was finally like, “wait this isn’t Drake is it?”. No, it wasn’t Drake – it’s something much better. It’s also, to me, a lot less sad than the original because I don’t know what he’s saying whereas Drake just seems to be rapping about my life.
5) Dylan Brady – When It’s Cold (ft. Dom McLennon, Lewis Grant, & Saputo)
Dylan was gracious enough to let us premiere this song last Monday, and it’s been doing wonderful things for traffic. If you’ve followed what I write even in the slightest bit, you’ll know that Dylan is an artist that I have infinite excitement for. Every time he releases something, it instantly trumps what I’d previously heard. He is an all around talent, and this was touched on in last weeks Saturday Seminar (also featuring his friends who are equally as compelling). Dom McLennon, Lewis Grant, and Saputo all put in perfect contributions on a record that has the power to put you all the way in your feelings. You might want to leave this one out of the turn-up, but don’t pass it over. Maybe light a candle and listen to it by yourself.
6) Lil Durk – Like Me Remix (ft. Lil Wayne, Fetty Wap, & Jeremih)
Lil Durk recruited an all-star cast for an all-star remix of an all-star original. Like Me is a trap-romantic, putting an emphasis on girls who have no idea about riding around and spending thousands of dollars in one night. Wayne and Fetty fit in perfectly – now that I’ve heard it, this record actually sounds like it was legitimately made for Fetty Wap.
7) Leather Corduroys – We Don’t Know How To Stop (prod. by Two Fresh)
Leather Corduroys are seemingly the next-up from the Atlantic-Ocean-deep SAVEMONEY crew. Joey and Kami have shown a history of being able to alley-oop each other perfectly, like the Chris Paul and Blake Griffen of rap, and they didn’t stray away from the formula on their latest We Don’t Know How To Stop. The Two Fresh production compliments both rappers perfectly as heavy hits and intricate synths paint a vivid picture in their own right.
8) Larry June – Crazy Dreams (prod. by RoseLilah)
Larry June became one of my favorite rappers this past week, and it’s the first time I’ve ever listened to him. The energy of his records, and his adlibs, make it easy to compare him to the likes of an OG Maco; but it seems to me like Larry has successfully carved a potentially successful route for himself. Coming from a boiling-hot region like The Bay, it can be difficult to stand out from the rest – but Larry has done well setting himself apart from the rest of the pack. Bad Dreams features Larry’s energy articulating some of the nightmares that loom when he goes to sleep at night.
9) Sauce Walka – All About The Sauce (ft. 5th Ward)
I actually haven’t learned anything about Sauce Walka and I’ve listened to a lot. I do know that he loves adding sauce-innuendos to literally everything (“you can see the blood dripping off my pearly white teeth / call me Sauce Dracula”). I touched on “energy” in the previous entry on Larry June, but Sauce Walka might bring something greater than energy. It’s a lot more fun than, say, a Meek Mill record; I’m not constantly left wondering “Why are you yelling at me?”. All About The Sauce has been on the interwebs for a long time now, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less relevant than it was six months ago. It also only has 61,000 plays in that time period so I felt the need to bring it back to surface.
10) Witty Rock – 9.04 (prod. by Yamata Forever)
Yet again, another 1833 premiere. Baltimore’s Witty Rock blessed us with the responsibility of premiering his latest EP, which was also a birthday present to friends and fans alike. As you get older, birthdays become more of a time for paranoia rather than celebration. Witty seems to be penning the story of this ideology – fighting a battle of seeming like your time is up when in all reality you still have the entire world in front of you.
11) Tobias – Side A
Another record we were more than honored to premiere this week at 1833 was from Tobias and his EP effort Side A. As noted, Tobias has always made music that has a transcendental effect on myself as a listener. This EP is also the perfect turn-down for a playlist that was elevated through the rafters, for the most part.
So there’s that. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and leave any sort of feedback your heart so pleases to.
