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, Corban Goble, Wesley Case, and Meaghan Garvey talk about P. Reign, Lil Bibby, and Father.
P. Reign: Dear AmericaWesley Case: If you do the homework on P. Reign, there should be some potential to intrigue. He’s a Toronto rapper who has Drake in his corner, but he can’t enter the States because of legal issues stemming from hustling. The background—along with the ultra serious spoken-word intro and stark art, not to mention a track called “Obama Freestyle”—sets the table for what one would hope is a dense, alluring piece of work. But I’m not hearing it. Much of Dear America fails to move the meter because it’s plainly generic. Rarely does P. Reign’s rapping jump off the page, and instead, we often get #GroceryBag clunkers like this one from “In This Cup”: “I been up all night with this cognac/ No sleep, insomniac/ Let me put this dick where that thong be at/ In your spin cycle, laundromat.”So Far Gone-era Drake would erase that from his Blackberry.
Corban Goble: Yeah, even the single “DnF” that has both Drake and Future doesn’t pop. How much does it cost to have Drake and Future on your song in loonies by the way? Seventy billion loonies? What is the conversion rate? How many bags of milk would that buy?
P. Reign has all the markings of a local legend that has parlayed that regional status into being Drake’s buddy. As the OVO Sound roster fills out, it feels like P. Reign is definitely the guy with the least commercial potential. (By the way, I think people slept on the PARTYNEXTDOOR album, I thought that was pretty solid). Meaghan?
Meaghan Garvey: That PARTYNEXTDOOR album was great! But yeah, it seems like P. Reign’s genericness is basically his “thing” in OVO Sound? Like, the one rapper in the lineup that isn’t a direct descendent of Drake’s sound, and is just sort of… rapping. He’s on some supremely average Meek Mill shit. I liked his song with Flocka, “Chickens”, that’s on the iTunes edition (along with all the decent songs here, conveniently), but nothing here holds up without some serious assists. I would also like to know if he and Drake discussed this “Rihanna” track at all before its release.
WC: Hearing French Montana continuously shout-out OVO and Drake on “Welcome to the Future” seems telling, but not surprising, about why stars like French, Future, and Rocky would work with Reign so early in his career. Unless P. Reign is really saving heat for his debut album (like a skit on Dear America suggests), he could be Drake’s greatest challenge from the OVO stable to put on, simply because there’s not enough to distinguish him from other tough talkers. I thought that would be OB OBrien, but you could at least imagine FratBroSZN jumping on board with dude’s Goof Troop flow. Even with the almighty Drake co-sign, it seems P. Reign will have to take some major strides artistically in order to make a dent in the hip-hop landscape.
Lil Bibby: Free Crack 2CG: Chicago rapper Lil Bibby’s last mixtape Free Crack was prominently featured in the famous Mixdown where Carrie Battan caught feelings about journeyman NBA point guard Mike Bibby. (Meaghan has also published on the topic). His new mixtape, Free Crack 2, is his first since getting some official label business in place and seems more consistent and polished while maintaining the confidence of the first edition even if there’s not much here that I feel like, as some might say, is “popping wheelies on the zeitgeist.” What did you guys like about the Free Crack sequel? Are you amped for the (hypothetical) trilogy? Is there anything in particular that distinguishes 2 that people should listen for?
MG: I like Bibby a lot. I remember joking around with a friend a year or so ago about whether Chicago would ever have a “conscious drill” phase, I Used To Love T.H.O.T. and such. Turns out, Bibby and frequent collaborator Lil Herb are probably the closest we’ll get to that being a real thing. The two have definitely forged their own lane within drill’s parameters, working within the sound but approaching the usual topics from different angles; they both have the ability to flip between street view and bird’s eye view in their raps.
But I’m not sure this stands up to the first Free Crack, and it’s definitely not touching Herb’s Welcome to Fazoland, one of my favorite tapes of the year that basically set the standard for this kind of lyrically-inclined drill that’s more King Louie than Chief Keef. Here’s another instance of a Drake co-sign that probably won’t lead to a whole lot of mainstream hype (if he and Herb had re-released their 2012 banger “Kill Shit” this year, I think it could’ve gotten some burn; unfortunately, Nicki basically aped it on “Chi-Raq” instead). But I love soul-sampling, stressed-out Bibby so much, and “What You Live For” is a great follow-up to “Water”, my favorite track off the last tape—calm on the surface, with undercurrents of anxiety. Wesley, you feeling it?
WC: For me, listening to Dear America and Free Crack 2 back-to-back really underlined the difference between meh street rap and something that’s brimming with kinetic energy. There are a bunch of stand-out tracks here, especially in the middle (“Can I Get”, “Boy” with T.I., and “I Be on It”), but if I had to choose one major highlight, it’s “We Are Strong” with Baton Rouge monster Kevin Gates, who plays a perfect partner to Bibby. Can one rap track handle the gruffness and tenacity of Gates and Bibby (trading lines, no less … and a Pat Benatar sample? I was ready for an iTunes error. Free Crack 2 probably won’t convert non-Bibby fans, but those already on board should feel optimistic about the guy’s future.
MG: Gates and Bibby are a really smart pairing, and Bibby could take a few notes from him in terms of marketability. They’re both technically skilled, gravelly-voiced, sensitive thugs that invest more into narratives than hooks, but over the past year, Gates has cracked the code of blowing up from a great discography rather than a hit or two.
Speaking of vampy samples, I’d like to draw attention to the full-throttle Annie sample here, which seems like a good time to let you guys know that in eighth grade, I played the role of Pepper, the “angsty orphan,” in my school’s Annie production. My show-stopping scene was when I shoved a fellow orphan in the chest, missed, and accidentally poked him in the eye on opening night, causing him to cry.
CG: Meaghan I feel like that anecdote explains everything and I’d like to thank you for sharing it. I could read about your part in Annie till next Tuesday, maybe this is a Kindle single if you want to cash out. And, yes, that’s maybe a top 10 use of a Broadway sample (on, would you believe it, Bibby’s “Tomorrow”).
I really wonder what became of the kid you poked in the eye.
MG: Alex Holmberg, if you’re reading this—sorry.
Father: Young Hot EbonyCG: Father is an Atlantan rapper who makes the sort of slurpy based rap that Makonnen is currently making his name off of. This features Makonnen and Meaghan told me she might like this more than Makonnen, whose hits I enjoy but whose deeper cuts I am still getting the hang of. Would you elaborate?
Father: "Look at Wrist" [feat. ILOVEMAKONNEN] on Bandcamp
MG: It was a bold claim, maybe, but man, I haven’t been able to stop playing “Nokia” for weeks; I’d also argue that it’s got Makonnen’s best rap verse yet— “makin’ plays at Waffle House, Bojangles, Church’s, Popeyes!” I like Father because he makes me imagine a brave new world where Big Sean, this whole time, has actually just had a really dry sense of humor that we’ve all mistaken for basicness.
CG: Whoa.
Father: "Why Can't I Cry $$$" on Bandcamp
MG: “Nokia” isn’t on this EP (or album, or whatever), but it’s got “Look at Wrist”, his buzziest song yet. Mostly the project feels like a quick attempt to cash in on that song’s hype—it’s not quite as solid as his last project, the deceptively wack-titled L1L D1DDY EP—but I still really fuck with Father. He’s definitely kind of a nerd, but like Makonnen, he deftly nails a very-hard-to-pull-off mode that sits comfortably between the trappier sounds of his hometown and weird shit on the Internet, equally informed by Gucci Mane and Lil B. In less capable hands, stuff like “Never had to whip a brick, but I get the gist” could come off as obnoxious, but here, it’s magic. And his scuzzy, rough-around-the-edges minimalism sometimes makes me think of a slacker-ish, post-based take on snap music, like on “Fake AF”. I’m pretty excited for this new wave of young, weird Atlanta, though—Makonnen, Father, Key!, and sludgier, softer sounds from the producers that’ve held down the city for years (“Sellin’ digital dope, just like my bro Sonny!”), have been providing a nice respite from the hypersaturation of the Young Thug/Migos trickle-down effect. Wesley, I saw you tweeting “Nokia” lyrics the other day; does Young Hot Ebony hold up for you?
WC: I love “Nokia”, and agree with you that it’s Makonnen’s best verse I’ve at least come across. But am I the only one who felt occasional Kitty Pryde vibes during this tape? I kept wondering, “How serious am I supposed to take this?” I get the lines work best via Father’s deadpan delivery, but too many times it borders on lifeless. And if you require a knock to your rap, I don’t imagine this working for you, either. This is bedroom rap—it sounds like it was made in a bedroom and likely sounds best chillin’ in a bedroom with a bunch of silly, zoned-out friends. With that said, Young Hot Ebony can still make for a fun listen (even if nothing here captures the off-the-cuff buoyancy of “Nokia”). “Look at Wrist” is fantastic, and “Why Can’t I Cry $$$” is a convincing combination of Based and capitalism. I also think Father can put strange phrases together in winning ways, like, “Might get my license renewed / might put some ice in my jewels.” I laughed, at least. But the potential that is so apparent with Makonnen and his command of melody is something I’m missing here.
CG: A lot of Father's lines would make good tattoos. I'm picking "WE'RE ALL GOTHS." HBU?
MG: *lifts shirt to reveal “EMAILS ALL DAY, JUNK MAIL FULL OF MONEY” stomach tattoo*
CG: And now to conclude this episode of Mixdown with our newest tradition. Take it away Wiz!