{"id":1184533,"date":"2021-07-09T18:25:28","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T15:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1184533"},"modified":"2021-07-09T18:25:28","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T15:25:28","slug":"its-a-mid-year-michigan-rap-check-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1184533","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a Mid-Year Michigan Rap Check-In"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s a Mid-Year Michigan Rap Check-In<\/h1>\n
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From the laidback boasts of Babyface Ray to the crime fiction of Los, this is the best (and occasionally the worst) of Flint and Detroit rap in 2021 so far.<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Alphonse Pierre<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Babyface Ray photo by LVTR Kevin, graphic by Simon Abranowicz<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre\u2019s<\/em>rap column<\/em>covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, weird tweets, fashion trends<\/em>\u2014and anything else that catches his attention.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Michigan\u2019s flourishing rap scene continues to move at an unmatched pace. If you go back to this same time last year, Flint was just beginning its takeover as three definitive singles arrived right before July: YN Jay and Louie Ray\u2019s \u201cCoochie,\u201d Bfb Da Packman\u2019s \u201cFree Joe Exotic,\u201d and Rio Da Yung OG and Louie\u2019s \u201cMovie.\u201d In terms of releases (and well, everything), that feels like a lifetime ago. So you can only imagine how much has happened between Detroit and Flint in the first six months of 2021. Here are a few of my favorite songs\u2014and others that I find interesting\u2014from the scene that keeps on giving.<\/p>\n

Babyface Ray<\/strong>: \u201cReal Niggas Don\u2019t Rap\u201d<\/h2>\n
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For so long, part of the appeal of Michigan rap was its rejection of popular trends and the yellow brick road toward crossing over. That\u2019s still true, but the deluxe version of Babyface Ray\u2019s Unfuckwitable<\/em> is a step in the other direction. There\u2019s a beat from Migos handyman Murda, a remix with white rapper of the moment Jack Harlow, and another one from Memphis radio-rap stalwart Moneybagg Yo. Despite all of this, sprinkled throughout the project are gems like \u201cReal Niggas Don\u2019t Rap.\u201d It\u2019s Ray at his finest, an endless stream of posturing delivered with a yawn: \u201cWhat I\u2019m supposed to tell my young niggas?\/Wild and don\u2019t give a fuck, 100k ain\u2019t enough\/Pandemic has been boring, I been runnin\u2019 money up.\u201d<\/p>\n

YN Jay<\/strong> and YSR Gramz: \u201cDo My Dance\u201d and YN Jay: \u201cSummer Time\u201d<\/h2>\n
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YN Jay has gone viral on TikTok a million times, but that internet fame hasn\u2019t changed anything about his music. \u201cDo My Dance\u201d with YSR Gramz and \u201cSummer Time\u201d are two of the most fun tracks to come out of Flint this year. On the former, he goes back and forth with Gramz over a hypnotic beat that sounds like it should come out of one of those arcade games they play on Stranger Things<\/em>. Meanwhile, \u201cSummer Time\u201d has YN Jay humming like a horny Kid Cudi and riding the smoothest Enrgy beat of the first six months of the year. Also, he humps a stack of money in the video:<\/p>\n

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Baby Money<\/strong>: \u201cMoncler Bubble\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Moncler bubble coats are behind only Amiri jeans and Vlone on the list of rapper wardrobe staples that don\u2019t need more tribute songs. Still, I love Baby Money raps about #fashion enough to forgive this sin.<\/p>\n

Bruiser Wolf<\/strong>: \u201cChess Move$\u201d<\/h2>\n
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In the video for \u201cChess Move$,\u201d Bruiser Brigade\u2019s Bruiser Wolf wears the type of straw fedora that has me convinced he\u2019s a 63-year-old time traveler. But outside of appearances, his raps where he packs metaphors into his run-on sentences delivered with his cartoonishly high voice, sound like nothing else in Michigan right now. Again and again his style has been compared to Suga Free and E-40, and it\u2019s somewhat accurate. Lyrically, his punchlines and sense of humor feel aligned with like-minded rappers from around the way. I could imagine Rio or Sada rapping, \u201cI treat my dog\u2019s better than white people do their\u2019s,\u201d just more aggressively. He\u2019s different in sound but not spirit.<\/p>\n

Shaudy Kash<\/strong>: \u201cWhole Lotta\u201d<\/h2>\n
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I imagine Shaudy Kash grew up riding around in the backseat of a family member\u2019s whip as the CD player shuffled between Tha Eastsidaz era Snoop, Too $hort, No Limit, and Blade Icewood. His hazy, old-soul raps could be sent through a portal to 1999 and things would go well for him. His take on E-40\u2019s \u201cDusted N\u2019 Disgusted\u201d with \u201cWhole Lotta\u201d just makes sense.<\/p>\n

Nuk<\/strong> and Glockboyz Teejaee: \u201c223s\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Glockboyz Teejaee clicks with everyone. (Go ahead, search for him on YouTube and just play it all.) But it might be the best with Nuk, who is good for at least one line per track that\u2019s forever stuck in the back of my brain. On this one it\u2019s \u201cSee that dog had me always skippin\u2019 school I was like Ferris.\u201d<\/p>\n

Los: \u201cHit Em\u2019 Wit\u2019 That Fye\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Los\u2019 paranoid and bugged-out raps reach a new peak on \u201cHit \u2019Em Wit\u2019 That Fye.\u201d He\u2019s basically Gene Hackman at the end of The Conversation<\/em> tearing up his house searching for a surveillance device that might not even be there. Come for the fast money schemes and stay for the hectic fallouts detailed enough for a neo-noir. The sinister No Limit-inspired beat by Topside, who may be the best producer in the region right now, is a perfect backdrop to the disarray.<\/p>\n

A.T<\/strong>and<\/strong>FamousCurt: \u201cHardest Out\u201d [ft.<\/strong>Allstar Jr<\/strong>]<\/h2>\n
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A.T and FamousCurt are yet another formidable Michigan rap duo. Atop the same Bobby Glenn sample flipped on JAY-Z\u2019s \u201cSong Cry,\u201d they bounce off each other with the smoothness of Drego and Beno on Sorry For the Get Off<\/em> and talk shit with the best of them: \u201cChains on, Cartier\u2019s iced, ears bussed, and my bitch bad, yo\u2019 broke ass,\u201d raps FamousCurt. She only needs to list parts of her outfit to be compelling.<\/p>\n

BabyTron<\/strong>: \u201cWhere They At\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Admit it, you have laughed at the ShittyBoyz before. I get it. Their name is the ShittyBoyz, they wear T-shirts featuring the poop emoji, and they\u2019re led by a dude named BabyTron, who has the same haircut as Steve from Blue\u2019s Clues<\/em> and likes to rap about the NBA and credit card scams over \u201980s pop samples. But BabyTron is a good rapper, a punchline savant to be exact, and his mixtape Luka Troncic<\/em>\u2014of course, his head is photoshopped onto Luke Doncic\u2019s body on the cover\u2014is one of the most enjoyable Detroit mixtapes of the year so far. Particularly \u201cWhere They At,\u201d where over a Helluva beat that sounds like it could soundtrack the first 20 minutes of Beverly Hills Cop<\/em>, BabyTron pulls the topics for his puns out of a top hat: classic fantasy (\u201cSmokin\u2019 cookie in the wonderland I feel like Mad Hatter\u201d), foundational Detroit street rap (\u201cFeel like Blade back up in the day bitch I\u2019m a stack master\u201d), and a rare 1970s NBA rap reference (\u201cGranddad was scoring in the city back with Bob Lanier\u201d).<\/p>\n

YBN Lil Bro: \u201cTrapping n My Jordans\u201d<\/h2>\n
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The comedic side of Detroit rap is still there, but this year has seen a rise in more reality-based forms of storytelling. You can tell that the city\u2019s next generation has grown up with the stoicism of drill and the volatile emotions of YoungBoy. YBN Lil Bro\u2019s \u201cTrapping n My Jordans\u201d is drenched in pain and anger. He howls, \u201cI ain\u2019t got no daddy\u201d seconds into the track in a way that sounds therapeutic and triggering at the same time.<\/p>\n

Peezy: \u201cRio Flow\u201d<\/h2>\n
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On \u201cRio Flow,\u201d the mentor is influenced by the mentee. Years ago, Detroit staple Peezy invited Flint\u2019s Rio Da Yung OG to the Eastside of Detroit and ignited a Flint rap renaissance. Though Peezy missed most of Rio\u2019s rise because of a jail stint, when he was released earlier this year he paid homage to his protege\u2019s non-sequitur-heavy delivery and demented punchlines with this song. OK, Peezy may be far less crazy, but he\u2019s cool and reserved like a mafia boss, which makes his take on the flow feel fresh. It\u2019s a return to form for one of the cornerstones of Michigan rap.<\/p>\n

Rio Da Yung OG<\/strong>: \u201cLast Day Out\u201d<\/h2>\n
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One day, Rio Da Yung OG\u2019s 2018 to 2021 run may be spoken about in the same breath as Gucci or Jeezy or any other street rap movement that set their city\u2019s tone for years to come. But a jail sentence brought his career to a sudden halt. Right before he went in, Rio released \u201cLast Day Out,\u201d a track that doesn\u2019t sound quite like anything else in his catalog. Absent are the explosive and jaw-dropping punchlines and the chaotic ringing church bells. Instead he somberly reflects on his meteoric rise and runs through a checklist of family members to say his goodbyes to: \u201cI think I need to go church where my mama at?\/Got to spend my time with my granny, where big mama at?\u201d he raps, as meaningful photos flash across the screen in the video. It\u2019s the most vulnerable he has ever been, unfortunately it had to come during a moment that feels like the end of an era.<\/p>\n

BandGang Lonnie Bands<\/strong>: \u201cHeartburn\u201d<\/h2>\n
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It\u2019s insane that a frustrated and bleak reflection on trauma and loss with heavy lines like, \u201cI lost half of my friends, I\u2019ll be lying if I tell you I won\u2019t really hurt though\/But I knew since a kid the game I was hopping in, was really cutthroat,\u201d sounds this good.<\/p>\n

Damjonboi<\/strong>: \u201cB22s\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Damjonboi has been the beatmaker behind the boards on a handful of recent Michigan rap anthems like Teejayx6\u2019s \u201cDark Web\u201d and Drego and Beno\u2019s \u201cRecipe 2.\u201d But he deserves respect as a rapper as well\u2014few can ride his piano-centric beats with as much enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Three from the GuttaBoyz: Pros Ap: \u201cFreestyle Pt. 3,\u201d Guttfats: \u201cConversations,\u201d Guttaboy Khida, VI, and ItsRoddo: \u201cJenga\u201d<\/h2>\n
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The GuttaBoyz are a crew of young rappers who don\u2019t give a shit. There\u2019s very little information about them on the internet, but I look forward to finding a video from one of their members on my YouTube homepage every week. My favorites have included \u201cFreestyle Pt. 3,\u201d where Pros AP has to be the first rapper outside of Milwaukee to drop a Khris Middleton reference, and Guttafats\u2019s breezy \u201cConversations\u201d (he seems primed to pop up on a Topside beat to list off nefarious activities). And Guttaboy Khida\u2019s \u201cJenga\u201d is a fun posse cut; if you\u2019re a fan of Michigan rap you know that the more fun posse cuts that exist, the better.<\/p>\n

Bonus thoughts:<\/h2>\n

RTB MB, Glockboyz Teejaee and The Godfather: \u201cAfter Laughter<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n

During the off-season, Charlotte Hornets high flyer Miles Bridges is a Flint rapper by the name of RTB MB. Of the many NBA rappers he\u2019s clearly the best one, and yes, I know the competition isn\u2019t too stiff, unless you are somehow a fan of Dame D.O.L.L.A. But listen, when the Hornets were eliminated from the play-in round this season, all I could think about was the return of RTB MB, which thankfully came instantly with \u201cAfter Laughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

24Lik, 392 Lil Head, FWC Big Key, and RealRichIzzo: \u201cBill Withers<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n

My biggest omission from the list above is likely CashGang. The crew\u2019s cold and brutal diss tracks, paired with fans cheering them on as if it\u2019s fiction, have rubbed me the wrong way. It has the spirit of the darkest side of early 2010s Chicago drill, and feels like it puts shock before creativity. It\u2019s not for me.<\/p>\n

Lil Yachty\u2019s<\/strong>Michigan Boy Boat<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s fine!<\/p>\n

Veeze: \u201cA&W<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n

Veeze is the human eye-roll emoji. His raps sound as if he was forced into the studio like a kid whose parents made them suit up for baseball practice even though they\u2019d rather just stay home and play video games. It\u2019s probably why he refuses to drop a new mixtape. Every couple of months he\u2019ll throw out a random track or feature. \u201cA&W\u201d is good enough to hold me over, as he continues to experiment with his lethargic and croaky flow. I just wish he didn\u2019t treat rap like a part-time job.<\/p>\n

Icewear Vezzo<\/strong>and<\/strong>Future: \u201cTear the Club Up<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n

If you want to see how far Michigan rap has come in the last year, just look at \u201cTear the Club Up.\u201d Future, one of the signature rappers of the last decade, joins Icewear Vezzo on a ominous piano beat, and it doesn\u2019t feel like that much of a surprise. At this point, the only rapper I wouldn\u2019t expect to hop on a Michigan rap song is Drake, and we already have Veeze doing OVO Sound Radio drops so even that doesn\u2019t seem so far-fetched. Though \u201cTear the Club Up\u201d is just OK, the unknown of where Michigan rap will go next is so exciting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/its-a-mid-year-michigan-rap-check-in\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Columns It\u2019s a Mid-Year Michigan Rap Check-In From the laidback boasts of Babyface Ray to the crime fiction of Los, this is the best (and occasionally the worst) of Flint and Detroit rap in 2021 so far. By Alphonse Pierre July 9, 2021 Babyface Ray photo by LVTR Kevin, graphic by Simon Abranowicz Pitchfork writer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1184534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1184533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1184533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1184533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1184533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1184534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1184533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1184533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1184533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}