Welcome to Mixdown, an ongoing series where Pitchfork staffers and contributors talk about mixtapes and mixes that may not be covered in our reviews section but are worth discussing. Today, we're taking a look at new releases from Casino, Nguzunguzu, and Lil Herb.
Casino: Frank Matthews
Carrie Battan: Last week we took a break from Mixdown, but there were some minorly interesting releases—we would have talked about this mix of College Dropout samples, which was a satisfying addition to the glut of ten-year anniversary retrospectives for the album. Rome Fortune’s Beautiful Pimp II arrived, along with Casino’s Frank Matthews mixtape, which came on the heels of his verse on Future/Pharrell/Pusha’s stomping extravaganza, “Move That Dope”. I like Frank Matthews. It’s a workmanlike, aggressive rap tape. Vocally, Casino is such a perfect blend of Gunplay and Rick Ross that I suspect he was cooked up in a lab in the MMG headquarters, right next to the pool that Jordan fell in.
Corban Goble: I like the energy of this, but I do feel like the guest spots from up-and-coming young Atlanta weirdos can be distracting even though it’s a pretty star-studded group. You get the sense that people are going to have Casino on speed-dial if they’re looking for this sort of delirious, bullrushing verse on future albums (I imagine he’s doing plenty of business based off the “Move That Dope” drop-in).
Jordan Sargent: Casino has two things that I feel like can’t really be learned: a very singular voice and a unique flow. His flow is sort of loopy and sing-song despite having this deep, guttural shout that feels tangibly heavy. He’s like if OJ Da Juiceman had grown up in Memphis or something.
This gives you an in to him as a rapper, I think. But he also can write a song and has an eye for concepts: He’s committed enough to “White” that it folds from generic back into sounding totally novel. “Killin Shit” is a pretty blank canvas but he splashes color all over it: “I lost a 100 grand to Cee-Lo—I did!—but it’s all the same, bring mo’.” I’m actually sad that he got cut off “Move That Dope,” but then again things must die so that #gandalfhat can live.
CB: Wait, he got cut from what version?
JS: The version being played at radio doesn’t have him on it, which was sort of inevitable considering that the track was six minutes long and he has the last verse.
CB: I didn’t even notice that (sorry, Casino). I also think “White” is a highlight here. Other stray thoughts about this mixtape: There’s really an act calling itself Migo Money Gang right now? Trinidad Jame$ still exists and doesn't sound half bad. And I watched a giant playlist of Terio YouTube highlight reels after listening to “All This Money”.
Lil Herb: Welcome to Fazoland
CG: Jordan, you called me out before for not acknowledging that Lil Herb had changed his name to G Herbo on Fazoland. But it definitely still says LIL HERB on this. I will now accept your apology.
JS: Sorry. You are still G Corbo, though.
CB: Why the hell would he change his name to Herbo? At least with Lil Herb my mind jumps to weed first and the derogatory term HERB second, but with G Herbo, I’m like, this guy’s willfully linking himself to the term herb. Also, herb: most incisive insult ever.
CG: It reminds me of when King Louie was like, no I’m King L now. That one made a little more sense but it was like—just as he started getting a lot of buzz—“NOPE, CHANGING MY NAME!” True player shit.
JS: This might be the fastest that a rapper has ever dropped the "lil" off his name because it makes him sound like a kid. On a related note, I still refuse to call Young Jeezy just "Jeezy."
CB: Maybe he’s just trying to distance himself from a bad Google search result. We’ve all been there.
CG: That’s actually why I had to change my name from Vanessa Hudgens. Anyway, the production on this tape is incredible.
JS: I like Welcome to Fazoland a lot. I feel like Herb is kind of what people wanted King L to be: the drill guy who is lyrical enough to not immediately repel like 50% of rap fans. I mean, King L is lyrical in his own way but he was only tangentially related to GBE's idea of "drill." Anyway, some of the rapping on this album is incredible. "At the Light" is a classic no-bullshit opener that really displays his skills as a writer while making it clear how much he connects to mainstream gangsta rap stylistically: "Call up J Dot, broad day, face shot/ Hollows make his fade drop, knock his noodles back."
CB: I would have to agree that Herb is a fucking great rapper. It really stands out on a song like “On My Soul”, with Lil Reese, which is the most traditional-sounding drill beat on the whole album. His raps really pop on that backdrop, which speaks to that niche you described.
However… as good as this is, I can’t really see listeners latching onto him on a bigger scale. He’s so dextrous but also so incapable of rapping a hook. People want music they can chant, and he doesn’t make music you can chant. When he tries on a song like “Ain’t For None”, he sounds like shit. The density of his flow is inhibiting, in some ways. Not even a Drake cosign is going to fix that (not that it’s something that needs to be fixed, really).
CG: I definitely see Herb as an above average rapper in this lane, but again, I was really impressed by the production. It’s like, just your really massive, hi-fi drill sound but with other weird atmospheric flourishes that kind of differentiate Herb from the pack.
JS: Herb and Bibby don't have songs as catchy as Keef or Lil Reese (though they don't exactly try to), and Chicago in general is sort of settling into churning out good music as the novelty of it all begins to wear off. But I think one thing that could help second-wave drill rappers catch on a bit is that they all seem a lot easier to collaborate with. The music is just more traditional, and that could open collaborative doors that were not there with those other guys. I remember listening to Finally Rich and just thinking how old 50 and (Young) Jeezy and Rick Ross sounded, but those guys (well not 50) could jump on a track with Herb no problem.
CB: Lastly, “All My Niggas” is a really good b-side to Nicki's “Lookin Ass".
JS: As I type this, Le1f just posted a new single called "Boom", his first on a new label.
CB: Le1f is a good choice for the Terrible Records/XL joint venture. I like the dancehall undertone here; it’s a good space for him. I just wish he’d release something that was edited/mixed and mastered really tightly, and he’d put his vocals a little higher in the mix. But everyone should record music that sounds like dancehall in 2014.
CG: So maybe this year is finally the year of the Sean Paul comeabck (let’s ignore the fact he’s been attempting the comeback for about four years now. Seriously, he plays in New York pretty much every week.)
JS: The new Major Lazer track with Sean Paul is pretty ghastly. Keep Sean Paul away from the Electric Zoo drops, he might hurt himself.
Nguzunguzu: The Perfect Lullaby Vol. II
CB: This is a good time to mention Le1f collaborators Nguzunguzu, who just released the followup to the 2011 mix The Perfect Lullaby, which has kind of become a standard-bearer for contemporary dance producers working with global bass music and 90s R&B. This is awesome, as predicted. It’s heavier on rarities and lighter on the recognizable R&B than the first version, and it works really well. I also respect the fact that this duo seem to do what they want and release music how they want to release it without following a plan.
JS: First of all, this is awesome. Secondly, thank god these two salvaged that really great Aaliyah sample that was wasted on Chris Brown. If I had to make a list of people I'd want to handle a posthumous Aaliyah album, Nguzunguzu might be on that list somewhere.
CB: That’s such a good point.
JS: Thank you, Carrie. The muted thump aesthetic of Perfect Lullaby is lowkey perfect for Aaliyah. There are so many mixes on the internet these days that I feel like it can be hard to legitimately highlight forgotten tracks, but Nguzu have a history of doing that with these mixes. And it's not just that they reanimate awesome under-the-radar songs—like Nicki's "Wave Ya Hand" on the first mix, or Marques Houston's "Clubbin" and Usher's "Lemme See" here—but they pick songs that really work for this sound. It's really skillful.
CG: Wait so are you guys saying you don’t trust Drake with Aaliyah’s legacy? I don’t see how that could be.
CB: Actually, I think I might trust 40 with Aaliyah’s legacy more than I would trust most people. Speaking of people who should be working with other people: Nguzunguzu and 40 should get together and spearhead the next Rihanna album.
CG: Considering how they put together Rihanna’s album last time, that is completely plausible. Can we get a broker’s fee for this?
JS: Yeah, I would totally put that album in 40's hands. I just don't need to hear Drake rapping about Mario Balotelli—as much as I love to hear Drake rapping over Mario Balotelli—on new Aaliyah songs.
One last thing on this Nguzunguzu mix: T-Pain's "Can't Believe It" is basically already a perfect song, but it's somehow even more perfect here. A song about putting a girl up in a beach house on the edge of Costa Rica gets the chilled-out tropical remix it deserved. Obvious concept (that was probably already done before) but genius-level execution.
CB: They do a really good job of emasculating Chris Brown, too. OH SHIT, JORDAN, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT "WAVE YA HAND" MIX. That blew my mind, especially because I hadn't heard the original version of that song (which is really slept-on), at the time.
But my actual perfect lullaby is this video of the sound of a fan that I listen to when I’m trying to sleep. Real shit. Hot new track.
JS: When I first moved to Chicago and was sleeping on my roommate's couch because I didn't have a bed, I would purposefully turn on the dishwasher when I went to sleep. The most perfect lullaby.
CB: That’s a nice image. (That sounded creepy).