Welcome to Mixdown, an ongoing series where Pitchfork staffers and contributors talk about mixtapes, mixes, and other beat-based ephemera that may not be covered in our reviews section but are worth discussing. Today, Wesley Case, Meaghan Garvey and David Turner talk about iLoveMakonnen, Kool John, and Jeremih.
Wesley Case: It seems safe to say we’ve been waiting for Jeremih’s proper third album, Late Nights, for far too long. Apparently, it’s scheduled to arrive on September 30, almost four years after the release of his sophomore album, All About You. In the meantime, the Chicago singer released the seven-track freebie N.O.M.A. (which stands for Not On My Album because, duh) earlier this month. On the one hand, it’s obvious why these songs didn’t make the LP (I hope no one paid actual money for that pedestrian Juicy J verse on “Can’t Go No Mo”), but it also shows what Jeremih does so well, and seemingly with little effort: He floooooooats on these beats! Whether he’s full-on crooning or half-singing/half-rapping, dude sounds elegantly in the pocket on a consistent basis here. “Wake Up”—its ridiculous DJ Khaled outro notwithstanding (“When you’re destined to win, you’re just a winner”)—really stands out because of Big A’s soulful production and Jeremih’s role as full-on seducer, which is probably his best and most natural look. (“Birthday Sex II”—let’s go!) Meaghan, how does your boy Jeremih sound here?
Meaghan Garvey:“Wake Up” was the one for me, too—I mean, I know we need another Aaliyah retread like we need another Khaled “When that whup cream hits your lips!”-style tirade (psych, there can never be enough), but this is a perfect fit, feather-light and steamy without trying too hard. It’s nice to hear Jeremih over the type of beats where he really shines, especially after his recent Shlohmo collaboration, No More, which found him a bit weighed down by his surroundings. Production is usually the make-or-break factor with Jeremih, and guys like Key Wane and Vinylz totally get what works here—namely, a gentle touch. From what I gather, Late Nights: The Album is shaping up to have a loose concept of night passing into day, and it’s fun to try and place where all these bits would show up on the album (like on “Chillin,” where it’s reinforced that “the sun’s goin down, it’s kinda late”). I’m liking the “morning after” ones the most, I think.
David, welcome to Mixdown! What’s working for you, or not, here?
David Turner: Cool to be here, chatting with ya’ll about Jeremih—long time reader, first time writer. This entire tape is working for me for the reasons Meaghan expressed above: the production on No More felt a bit too experimental when paired with Jeremih’s vocals, where N.O.M.A. really does pick up where Late Nights with Jeremih ended. The songs are immediately more memorable, and Jeremih's great singing doesn’t feel secondary to the production here. But at a brief seven songs with a number of interludes, I just want to hear the album fully at this point; three much-anticipated projects released over just a few months feels like a bit much.
MG: So, not to be that guy, but I did get to hear four of the album cuts the other week (I also very thirstily showed Jeremih my “773 Love” tattoo, beaming like an absolute dork) and I have a feeling we’re not gonna be disappointed with the final product. There’s a DJ Mustard beat (in addition to “Don’t Tell Em”, which might just be my song of the summer) that sounds, refreshingly, nothing like a Mustard beat. And the album’s closing song, “Paradise”, which he affectionately dubbed the “hood ballad of the year,” is like a ratchet sunrise lullaby. He sings a capella about molly! But I do appreciate him tossing these loosies our way to tide us over now, rather than as corny deluxe edition bonus tracks later.
WC: No doubt—the tacked-on bonus tracks trend needs to go. And anyway, N.O.M.A. does what it’s supposed to—it gives a quick taste, raises expectations for Late Nights, and holds fans over with some easily digestible (but solid!) tracks. (One quibble: Where’s “She Know It” with Chi Hoover? I think it could have been the star here.) Plus, I’m always down for some new Key Wane. “Chillin”, which matches stomping military drums with barely-there keyboards, will certainly get rotation in the whip.
DT: If any group the last few years should’ve been making a “ratchet sunrise lullaby” it would’ve been the Heart Break Gang. Kool John doesn’t have quite the profile of Iamsu! or Sage the Gemini, but $hmopcity is the most exciting tape from this collective in years. Su and Sage both put out debut albums earlier this year, butboth seemed to reach a little too much, where Kool John just made a fun summer party album. I mean, the last song mixes Outkast’s “Ain’t No Thang” with “No Limit Party”, and who could say no to that combo?
MG: Do you guys remember the scuffle a couple months back between DJ Mustard and Mistah FAB, apparently over the semi-longstanding claim that Mustard stole a fair bit of the Bay’s swag? (The beef, or non-beef, depending who you ask, has been referenced in this YG interview, and in Naomi Zeichner’s really good HBK Gang feature from earlier this year.) I think there’s definitely some validity to this claim—the Bay always tends to get shoved out of the spotlight somehow—but for me, the main difference between the sounds of the L.A. ratchet guys and the HBK crew is that, while they both make party music, the L.A. sound reminds me of clubs, and the HBK guys remind me of super-turnt, grimy house parties. $hmopcity definitely captures that house party vibe—apparently it’s even named after some legendary house parties he used to throw. For me, the first half of this tape drags a bit, but it really gets good in the second half when he starts to mix things up. There’s the sort of chillwavey (I know, I know) “Laying Low in the Cut”, “Do Ya Dance” sounds like a circa-2011 Tri Angle joint, a seven-minute “Crew Love” homage, the greasy ratchet-funk of “Bad Ass Bitch”, then a song that makes #ThrowbackThursday into a dance move (!). All in all, it’s a welcome deviation from the fun but occasionally monotonous ratchetry.
WC: Funny you should draw a line between Mustard and the HBK crew. In my notes, as “Wobble” completely melted my face, I wrote, “Makes me wish I was at a house party so badly.” For me, the first half of $hmopcity is all about eliciting visceral, almost delirious, feelings that you get at a party in full drive. So many rappers make “party” music, but many fail to deliver the off-the-cuff looseness that is essential to a blowout rager. Most refreshing is that Kool John, more often than not, is a deceptively captivating MC. “Smoked Out” could have been the token (heh) stoner jam, but Kool John follows his lifted thoughts further than most, and the results are funny: “Higher than an eagle tit,” “I’m higher than Yao Ming’s nose hairs.” I didn’t have any expectations for this tape, and now it seems like a really pleasant surprise. Just cut the running time down, guys.
MG: The charm and the downfall of the HBK Gang, including Kool John, is one and the same: their everyman, dudes-next-door appeal is super inviting, but doesn’t always give you a reason to stick around for too long. Luckily, John seems to fall right in the middle of the spectrum between Sage’s hooks-only approach and Iamsu!’s vibes-centric songwriting, keeping it light but tucking in little gems for you to discover, and in doing so he might have become my new favorite of the crew. Anyway, is this where we make our $hmopcity/Bobby Shmurda joke? (I recently saw a flyer for some Bushwick art thing called “Shwick,” so you know the movement’s getting really real. Also, ew.)
iLoveMakonnen: “Club Going Up on a Tuesday” [ft. Drake]
WC: Is it possible to write about rap in 2014 without mentioning Drake? Maybe so, but not this time! Earlier this week, Young Angel (remember that nickname?) hopped on iLoveMakonnen’s woozy banger “Club Going Up on a Tuesday”, and it’s dominated Internet rap conversation since. You turning up mid-week to this, David?
DT: I’m a turn down for all evenings type of guy, so going up on a Tuesday is a bit much for me. But I’m ready to turn up for whatever Makonnen—he can’t go by iLoveMakonnen for much longer, right?—is doing right now. Drake hopping on “Club Going Up on a Tuesday” is exciting to me: the move is "classic Drake," as he's hopping on another’s cresting wave, but Makonnen’s music also fits so neatly next to Drake’s. The deeper cuts from the I Love Makonnen EP make Drake’s “Courtney from Hooters on Peachtree” sound tame, as he waxes on namechecking old loves by their first name. But Makonnen’s also the kind of goof that has a song called “Maneuvering” and steals the spotlight on a track called “Look At Wrist”. If this is what the rest of rap is going to be chasing the rest of 2014, I couldn’t be happier. Wesley, are you excited about the pending Makonnen hurricane about to hit?
WC: I love that Makonnen works with Atlanta’s best producers (Metro Boomin, DJ Spinz, Sonny Digital) but his finished products sound otherworldly. Rather than trying to mimic the wave of success more popular rappers have already had with these beatmakers, Makonnen seems committed to this vaguely based, vaguely slurred-ratchet lane. (Word to Lil B, whose fingerprints continue to show up all over rap in interesting ways.) And it works, especially on “Tuesday”.
Real quick about Drake: Call me naive, but once again, this seems like another straightforward case of Drake feeling a song and hopping on it. (Haters cry when he takes a bubbling-under-the-surface track—say, Migos’ “Versace”—but I don’t buy the idea that he does it as a grab for street credibility. Wake up, folks: Drake is seemingly liked everywhere, and his standing in the game is nearly unimpeachable right now.) It’s cool he and his team keep up with rap on the Internet, and they seem to be doing a better job than a lot of bloggers out here. More importantly, this remix shines a light on Makonnen, and it’s hard not to be excited with what comes next. Makonnen certainly seems hype. Was this your reaction to “Tuesday”, too, Meaghan?
MG: This whole thing just makes me happy. I wouldn’t say Drake improves on the original in any significant way (although him flipping Makonnen’s “party on the weekend” line to be about PartyNextDoor and The Weeknd is pure kismet), but that’s never really the purpose, is it? Like you guys said, Drake’s just reminding you he’s the rap game’s best A&R, and putting on a cool, unique guy; to me, that’s great. It actually took me a while to really “get” Makonnen when I first heard the original of this song; I don’t know if it was out of snotty hype-backlash, in response to hearing him compared to everyone from The-Dream to Morrissey, or just out of genuine confusion. But then I heard “I Mix My”, which sounds like the the Phantom of the Opera entering his codeine phase, and for some reason, it just clicked. But “Tuesday” is also just another great example of the range and open-mindedness of this Super Friends squad of Atlanta producers—like, this is produced by the guy who did “Same Damn Time”?! Anyway, Drake wins, Makonnen wins, we all win. Tuesdays I watch “Real Housewives of New York”, though, so I’m going to have to start rearranging my schedule.