40 Glocc

Definitely one of the most listenable Cali rappers right now, 40 Glocc has this perfect generic 90s gangsta stlye w/ no meta bitchery, no super-self-conscious fake gangsta The Game-style historical awareness, absent the G-Unit branding that would dilute the new West Coast affiliate, just pure ignorant fearless Cali g-shit (but, like, hungry-fearless like '02 50 Cent, not bored-fearless like now 50 Cent, slow-building buzz feeling refreshingly separate from awful 'crack a bottle'/'i get it in' Generic-Unit formula joints) ... produced by J. Dilla????



I can't explain that shit except to say that yeah no matter how annoying the cult of dilla can be the guy was a real artist with an incredibly diverse approach & willingness to experiment with different styles & subsume them in his own vision.

"Finer Thingz" was hot too


I Am Legend Whoo Kid mixtape had some joints -- great beat selection, tracks with jayo felony, a joint spitting over forgotten Mike Jones banger 'my 6-4', knocking Alchemist track with Ras Kass spitting his "Gun butt, uppercut, I'll clip ya chin," it-really-makes-you-think raps, a 'wanna be a baller' flow with tony yayo & spider loc, one of those knocking uptempo Akon's pan-global pop joints, & Glocc's kinda generic flow tying together into one of those classicist west coast gangsta albums with a hardheaded blank slate rapper.

Also its nice to hear some classic conspiracy theorist raps from a dude who might get mainstream burn even if (because?) his Obama h8ing seems pretty out of step with the times.