ILOVEMAKONNEN is already winning and he comes across as one of the more likable artists in rap these days. He just recently dropped his Drink More Water 5 mixtape and there’s a number of ballads on it that make this project stand out. For That New New this week, I picked out one of my favorites in “Slow It Down”. A simple drum pattern with a playful, yet dissonant melody lay the foundation for ILOVEMAKONNEN to go off. Emotional inflection in his voice is always there even on his club friendly cuts, but it really shines here specifically on this tune in a way that was surprising to me. This whole mixtape is tight and is available for free download as well.
SoySauce has been a bit of a mystery since debuting around a year ago and I’ve personally been a bit confused with it from the jump. Things have stabilized a bit with the project over the last few months by becoming a duo and their last couple tunes have definitely caught my ear. Their latest is a flip of Stalking Gia‘s “Born Free” and it’s our choice for That New New this week. There’s been a nice string of vibe heavy midtempo tunes as of late that have a bit of a pop flair and SoySauce slides right into this zone with great success. It’s damn near Moombahsoul with arena appeal to be completely honest but don’t let that deter your listening experience. Free download is added on this as well in exchange for a ToneDen follow for those DJs looking for an immediate new warm-up set weapon.
That New New entry this week comes from Chicago rapper, Lil Durk. His latest tune with singer Jeremih was just released and it’s on some spacey trap vibes that can definitely work well in the club. The auto-tune on the vocals are nothing groundbreaking but the idea works incredibly well on this Boi1da and Vinylz production. Overall, it’s simplistic and stripped down in it’s arrangement and sound design, but very effective in it’s execution. Durk’s got a solid history in the mixtape game, but his debut album, Remember My Name, is finally coming out and is due this May. It’s not confirmed yet if “Like Me” will be featured on the LP but all signs point to it’s inclusion. This one’s got a lot of replay value and the pairing with Jeremih always has “hit” potential. Give it a listen below.
As Ayres mentioned last week, we’ve rolled out a new weekly feature that will focus on some new(er) tracks that have entered into our collective worlds we think are worth mentioning. This week for the 2nd installment of That New New, we’ve got the latest cut from up-and-coming LA based producer Venessa Michaels. She appears to just be jumping things off career wise as she’s only got 3 tracks posted on her Soundcloud so far, but “Touch Me” featuring Kiana Brown feels kind of special. Freestyle, Future Bass, Jersey Club and Bassline House are all blended seamlessly on this little jam that is arguably has some pop crossover potential. Free download here too for you DJs looking for something new, fresh and different that won’t alienate your dancefloor.
We’re jumping off a weekly feature on The Rub site where we highlight new music we love. Brent Tactic came up with the idea, and he’ll probably do most of the heavy lifting but I wanted to set it off, mostly because I’m listening to this Kendrick album and I’ve got some opinions (just what the internet needs!). I fucking loved his last album, but I also can’t deal with squawky free jazz at all, so I’m really having a hard time with this new one. Challenging listeners is great, bravo for that, but nails on the chalkboard is nails on the chalkboard. But even if I was hoping for more “m.A.A.d city” and less Pharaoh Sanders, Kendrick’s rapping is stellar throughout To Pimp A Butterfly, and he’s talking about important shit. I picked “Hood Politics” to highlight – the writing is fucking exceptional and we get a break from the saxturbation and funny voices in favor of spacy keyboards and a funny hook. Even if this song doesn’t do it for you, I recommend you dig in to the album – it’s absolutely worth a listen, to hear what Kendrick is saying at the very least.