Here’s another iteration of A Collection of Write-Ups! Just a bunch of short reviews for projects/releases that I felt deserved some shine. This collection features RIPXL, ZAYALLCAPS, rarerashad, Georgie Zaven, NoGum Hundo & ebcut!

Atlanta Is Burning by RIPXL

I have known about RIPXL for some time now. I first heard him on Die Tomorrow by one of my favorite artists, NoGum Hundo. I am a huge fan of rappers who have flows that hypnotize you, but while they have your attention, you can tell they’re having fun with what they’re doing. So when RIPXL said, “Niggas talk a lot of shit, but ain’t make no noise, say you shootin’ at the opps, you ain’t bust no toys, you a hot wheel nigga, yo toys is trash,” I was like, “I need to follow bro immediately.” So, fast forward to now and RIPXL had been teasing this project for a minute, and boy, was it worth the wait. Just with the title you picture a desolate wasteland where a once bustling city stood, now it’s just dust and carnage. There’s no hope and there’s RIPXL right there in the middle just assessing what he’s witnessing. In keeping with that theme, the sound of the album matches the title perfectly, and I love it. BURN starts the album off with these menacing 808s accompanied by the sound of bullets constantly hitting the ground, and that’s it! RIPXL sounds like he’s alone in a room with a single light swinging above his head and he’s reached his breaking point. He delivers eight bars that detail his life and worldview then dips right out. “Stay out of drama, Atlanta is a truly wild place.” G and P continues that energy, but it’s like RIPXL has actually lost it and jumped right into the fire. After a short intro, the beat just descends into chaos with these booming 808s, snare and hi-hat hits, and these synths that jumpstart your heart rate. RIPXL is unapologetically threatening on this one. In between those threats, though he slips in lines like, “Niggas hitting licks because they Momma fighting cancer,” and “Living as a nigga you can reach out to no pastor, bitch we still some slaves you know the government our masters, please don’t crack the whip, bitch I’m popping shit,” Then, the perfect cap off, he ends his verse with a simple “Dummy.” And you’re just sitting there like, what the fuck did I just witness? Gotta Go is just beautiful, over some very Spanish-sounding instrumentation, RIPXL hits you over the head with the vocals and harmonies and you can’t help but bob your head to it. Try hitting a little two-step to it when you listen, trust me. What I love about this project is RIPXL’s ear for beats. One minute you’ll be listening to the hardest most punch-someone-in-the-face song ever, then right after that you’re transported to a café grooving along to an upright bass as smoke fills the air. That song is Intentions, which is for sure my favorite song off the entire project. If this is your intro to RIPXL, go back in the catalog after you finish this one, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

BESTIE (TOKYO) / SEX IN THE CITY by ZAYALLCAPS

Two things, 1. Yes, I know these released three months ago, 2. I know I should probably talk about ACCORDION, but I have a simple rebuttal to both of those points, create your own magazine and you can do what ever you want, bud. ZAYALLCAPS is a very cool guy, We connected through our mutual friend Wiz, I believe. I didn’t even know bro made music, but he teased these two tracks and I was in my school’s library and hit play and was stuck in the same spot for about an hour just replaying these same two songs over and over again. Okay, BESTIE (TOKYO) sounds like the perfect date ever. Like, one you’ve been planning for weeks to impress this person. Listening to the little things they say, but acting like you don’t care then doing everything they said. It’s a perfect sunny day, but it’s not too hot. Zay uses this time to ponder whether he and this person are going further or are just besties. Well, for the first part of the verse at least. He sings/raps the first part of the verse in a dazed/blindly-in-love tone, then it’s like he snaps into focus and his voice gets harsh and he goes from saying, “Everywhere I go imma miss you, down to the very last minute, even when I’m up imma stay stuck, hope you winning,” to “I’m so over fucking with you, had to go sober, you my Yoko Ono,” in a blink. Zay’s harmonies are so tight, you feel like you’re watching the clouds go by as he harmonizes with himself over 808s, synths, and some immaculate drums. Then, while you’re still reeling from that, Zay hits you on top of the head with SEX IN THE CITY. You can tell from the intro that this song is going to be beyond groovy. After Zay harmonizes with the beat, it pauses then it drops and your ears are met with the most gooey sounds you’ve ever heard. His background vocals bounce from ear to ear and you’ll look up and find yourself bobbing your head from side to side following them like they’re playing pong with the groove. Zay talks about a missed connection between two people on the timeline. But, Zay is willing to put in the effort to make it work. Their interests line up and she takes care of herself, and there might be other guys at her door, but they ain’t Zay. I’m torn between which one I like the best out of the two, y’all listen and get back to me.

modes of production by rarerashad

So, this project has been known by a couple of names. It was first teased as a sequel to “Godspeed Lil Killua,” but Rashad aka rarerashad aka $$$ didn’t want to do that, then it was “dark nigo,” then he didn’t want to do that either, but finally he decided on “modes of production.” With those titles, I went in expecting some darker sounds and mainly minor chords. I was not let down either. The album starts off with GMFR or “Get My Friends Rich” and it’s a beautiful melody of guitar plucks 808s, and percussion. In keeping with the first Lil Killua project, rashad is spitting on this one. He dips between singing and rapping on the hook and verses. He comes out swinging, too, “Wide green Ceelo, bitch brown Nino, she do Kegels, on my peehole,” and he continues that rhyme scheme for the rest of his verse and you’re sitting there like, “How many words end with this sound?? forza sees the return of one of my favorite duos, seriously, when rashad and Eric connect it’s some of the best music I’ve ever heard. The beat sounds like you’re traveling a vortex of sound and it’s a beautiful mix of pinks and purples. rashad’s vocals distort and turn goopy at a moment’s notice and he doubles them with a higher register to accent that effect. Then, Eric slides in like he always does and takes the groove to another level with his lower/softer tone of voice that sounds so at home over rashad’s production. hunger insatiable is the wonkiest beat I have ever heard rashad make/rap over. This beat sounds like Plain Pat and Dot Da Genius were thrown into the taffy puller from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. It’s a symphony of chimes, synth goo, vocal chops, sporadic percussion hits, and piano chords. Like no joke, this beat sounds like you went into Guitar Center and threw a bunch of instruments into one room and recorded the outcome, but I mean that in the best way possible. As a non-rapper, I can’t believe he was able to find the groove in this. super is a song that rashad teased wayyy back in 2017. It was great then, and even better now that everyone gets to hear it on streaming. rashad raps in a chill, but focused tone with rhymes detailing his lyrical prowess and highlighting his flirting game with your girl. Impossible to not vibe with this one. Yet another, great release from rashad, but we’ve come to expect this.

RUNAROUND by Georgie Zaven

Coming with that 80s ballad that we all know and love, Georgie returns with RUNAROUND. This song is a perfect mix of sounds that you know, but Georgie puts his own personal spin on them to make them uniquely him. Over this synth-heavy production, Zaven wonders who has taken his spot in a past lover’s life. It seems like they fight, leave, and make up then the cycle repeats itself over and over again. This is one of those deceptively-positive songs. I love songs like that, where the beat is in a major key so you could just listen to the song and have a good time, but if you dive into the lyrics it’ll have you lying down looking at the ceiling wondering if you should text that person or not. (Don’t.) This will be another one getting played at every function this summer, so get hip now trust me.

3 Piece by NoGum Hundo

I love seeing artists master one aspect of art, then dip their feet into another, and then fully take it over. We all remember when Tyler was like, “I’m going to get better at rapping,” then he made Call Me If You Get Lost. Pharrell knew he was a great producer, then he dipped into rock with NERD and made timeless classics. It’s the same with Hundo. Hundo is hands down one of the best rappers on earth. His flow, wordplay, and execution with knowing what should go where and how to sound while doing it is unmatched. So, when he started to learn how to produce we all knew that it was only a matter of time before he conquered that, too. 3 Piece is a testament to both of those aspects. Starting out with Scripts is a bit unfair. The little intro where the sample loops where you don’t expect it to, then the 808s come in and it instantly turns into a club dance track. Then, Hundo lets the chopper sing and matches the energy of the beat perfectly rapping about a myriad of topics: His status, his dislike for critics, how he dresses better than you, and how if you disrespect him, your mom is getting added to the roster. I mean, who starts an album off like that?? Just from that, you know you’re in for a treat. Eric Mays is a pure Hundo track, like a textbook Hundo classic. Speaking of Hundo dipping into production on top of rapping he ends the songs with, “A beat come to my mind and I cook, get up on the motherfuckin’ track and then I hook it up, if you ain’t knowin’ better learn, nigga look it up.” I love hearing Hundo over booming 808s, he sounds so at home over them. The beat on this one gives him ample space to talk as much shit as he wants, but in a rapid fashion that allows him to get it all quickly. Thinkin’ Bout Life is a great beat built off of a choir harmonizing with each other and a hi-hat placed in the middle of the loop that brings everything together. Another addition to his repertoire of amazing contributions to life. Play this one with the windows down or when you cleaning your house and see how great life feels.

SAD by ebcut

I love seeing this kid constantly improve and hone in on his craft and switch it up whenever he wants. SAD is another example of this. The production (handled by ALeSH) sounds like driving really fast at night through a neon-lit city. Fit with strings, glitchy 808s, drums, and synths to round it out, ebcut repeats that he’s “sad as fuck,” and because of that he moves differently through the city. Do yourself a favor and listen to this in the right atmosphere. This is a track for nighttime, don’t listen to this while the sun is out or it just won’t feel right. ebcut makes very atmospheric music and you have to appreciate the energy he’s trying to communicate.

Do yourself a favor and check these releases out, then dive into the respective artist’s catalogs. The energies and lyrics go way beyond what I can articulate. Plus, you can always find a new gem and then become a super fan of someone new! Music is truly amazing.

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