Rapper’s Delight: Volume Two
Our Rapper’s Delight weekly column focuses on five of the best new releases by New Jersey hip-hop artists.
Our second volume highlights gritty, street-wise rappers redefining sounds popularized in previous eras of hip-hop. We hope you enjoy these selections for the week of June 23rd.
MB Wise - No Father’s Day
MB Wise’s “No Father’s Day” is a heartrending song that explores his grief and grit. Over an 808-driven bass line, MB Wise declares, “My daddy died [and] it made me a G.” It almost makes you believe his father’s death was his rite of passage to embrace manhood. His brisk, swaggering rap style epitomizes his will to overcome adversity, but he shares pinches of his pain throughout the song. The controlled rage in each lyric depicts his internal strife. A love for the art of rap and copious amounts of weed helps the “Dark City” native remain solid. His “GO” ad-lib takes you straight into his mind for a ride you wouldn’t want to miss.
Papo2oo4 Featuring YL & STARKER - “STARS”
Papo2oo4 is a no-frills MC that raps his ass off. The nostalgic, minimalistic aesthetic of “STARS” flips the bird to big-budget bullsh*t seen in mainstream hip-hop. Papoo, YL, and STARKER spar lyrically in their distinctive East Coast styles. Their ambition to “preserve the real” is a stuck-in-the-90s n****s dream. The dusty, lo-fi soundscape rooted in boom bap emphasizes their dope lyricism. Spark up and hit play.
Albee Al - I’m With The Shooters
Tell your favorite rappers to duck because Albee Al is a sure shot in the rap game. He unloads on the opening verse with a barrage of bars piercing your ear lobes like the sound of a semi-automatic. “I’m With The Shooters” feels like an invasion as D Rose and MG burst on the track like stick-up kids. It’s the perfect score for three New Jersey heavyweights.
Na’im The Artist - Options
Na’im’s stress levels are personified on “Options” at the 28-second mark when he shares his thoughts in a slack, melancholy cadence. However, his moment of despair vanishes as he morphs into “Hoodie Melo” and gets his swagger back. Na’im roams the streets of Rahway talkin’ his s***. The flashy flows are as radiant as his white hoodie. Tap in.
Chase Fetti Featuring Rome Streetz & Boldy James - One More Sale
“One More Sale” is ashy knuckle rap straight from the trap. Chase Fetti, Rome Streetz, and Boldy James are a cartel serving a different kind of crack - music. The potent poetry strikes harder than a junkie’s first hit. I keep replaying this. S*** just be calling me man.
