This series (In Case You Missed It) covers recent songs/projects that have been out for a few weeks, but you still have time to catch!

By Ben Leshan

Songs

Real As It Gets- Lil Baby feat. EST. Gee

Lil Baby has ascended to be one of the biggest names in all of hip hop, but he’s proving he can be even bigger. It has become abundantly clear that Baby is NOT a mumble rapper, he is a bonafide hit maker and slept on lyricist. On “Real as it Gets” Baby goes in from the jump, building a catchy chorus and coming with bar after bar. The beat knocks from the start, with a bouncy melody, strong drums, and an energetic feel that keeps the track flowing. The entire song is a flex, as Baby paints a picture of a true rap star, a man who deserves his respect both in the streets and in the rap game. He is calculated with the bars, peppering his verse with slick wordplay and impressive references.

EST Gee’s verse is an incredibly pleasant surprise. The Louisville rapper has not done huge numbers on his own music (yet), but he has proven to be one of the world’s most exciting new rappers in the last few months. Fans might know him from his feature on fellow Louisville star Jack Harlow’s “Route 66”, a sleeper hit from Jack’s December album That’s What They All Say. Gee has a unique voice that lends itself both to lyricism and club-type tracks, as his deep tone and unplaceable accent are unforgettable. On his verse here he proves that he can truly rap. His flow is a beautiful contrast to Baby’s, and he is calmly confident. He doesn’t need to scream that’s he’s winning because he knows he is. He makes the listener believe every word, as he says “Still got my block if the music don’t crack/ Really livin’ what I rap”. Overall, “Real as it Gets” is a phenomenal single, and the best of Baby’s recent work. With his last single “On Me” working up an incredible buzz, Baby really has the potential to rule the charts this year.

Since it’s release on March 4th, “Real As It Gets” has accumulated over 12 million streams on Spotify and over 14 million on YouTube, and it keeps building momentum. These numbers illustrate how Lil Baby’s music sells well in nearly every circle of rap fandom, something that should keep him at the top of the game. “Real As It Gets” definitely has the energy and the vibe to be one of the hip hop cuts that dominates the summer, so keep an eye out for Lil Baby to do even bigger things going forward.

Scary Hours 2- Drake

Drake is back with the second edition of Scary Hours, a follow up to the 2018 release of “God’s Plan” and “Diplomatic Immunity” that came before his highly successful album Scorpion. This time he comes with 3 records, the Maneesh and Supah Mario produced “What’s Next”, “Wants and Needs” featuring Atlanta star Lil Baby, and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” featuring Rick Ross. The first two songs are clearly built to be hits. Drake comes with his classic quotable bars and catchy choruses over hard 808s and earworm production melodies. On “Wants and Needs” the star of the show might just be Baby’s verse though, as he goes in, showcasing his lyricism and bravado while riding the beat perfectly. Baby already had one of 2020’s biggest albums with My Turn, but with the release of “Wants and Needs” and “Real as it Gets”, both of which have top ten hit potential, the Atlanta rapper looks like he might live up to his most quotable bar from Wants and Needs, “I’m not a GOAT but I fit the description”. “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” is in many ways the standout because it is quite different from the other two tracks. Boi-1da produced on the track, and the vocal sample and unique drums immediately draw the listener in. The track is perhaps most reminiscent of Ross’s 2019 song “Gold Roses” , which also features elite lyricism and long verses from Rozay and Drake. Ross begins with his verse, and from the first bar, “Godfather with a garden full of snakes” it’s clear that Rozay did not come to play around on this track. Drake’s verse comes in after a small vocal break where the sample plays. It seems to never end, going on for about 4 minutes, but somehow he still leaves the listener wanting more.

One of Drake’s biggest trademarks is his propensity for quotable bars (he’s known as the king of instagram captions) and he showcased that talent on these three records. On “What’s Next” he provides memorable bars on the chorus, rapping, “Well, summer, all I did was rest, okay?/ And New’s Year’s, all I did was stretch, okay?/ And Valentine’s Day I had sex okay?”. On “Wants and Needs” the very first bar is a perfect caption;”Leave me out the comments, leave me out the nonsense”, and finishing up the verse with an allusion to his rap nemesis, “Yeah, I should probably go link with Yeezy, I need me some Jesus”. It’s also notable that “Wants and Needs” begins with Drake rapping against the beat instead of in a traditional pocket, an impressive flex of flow technique. “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” comes with the hardest bars of the three song pack. In his long verse he makes many references; to his iconic class photo, to NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, to his mentor and friend Lil Wayne, to former Toronto Raptor and current San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan, and to the airline Air Canada. This verse is Drake being Drake, a mix of cultural awareness, intense confidence, and a myriad of references and quotables. For any Drake fan, this verse is a winner. Even though Drizzy pushed back the release of his Certified Lover Boy album from February, this three song pack signals good things going forward for the 6 God.

Drake made history with this drop on the March 13th Hot 100, seeing the songs land at 1, 2, and 3 on the chart. Even for a constant chart-topper like Drizzy, that was a big achievement. Even though the records have seen a significant drop in their second chart week, “What’s Next” and “Wants and Needs” still sit in the top ten, and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” has the feeling of a lasting quality cut rather than a chart dominator. Whatever the case, the three songs have already been streamed a combined 135 million times, and Drake is not slowing down ahead of Certified Lover Boy.

Serotonin- girl in red

Girl in red (stylized girl in red) is one of the most exciting young voices in alternative music. She dives into youth, queer identity, and mental illness with a fresh and pragmatic take that is highly relatable for young audiences. The Norwegian singer songwriter is proudly herself, but she also is fine to let people into the process of finding herself. She has a lilting soft voice that is deceptively powerful in big moments, and immense talent with lyrics and concepts. She is profoundly artistic and experimental, and it translates very well to the music.

“Serotonin” is a no doubter, a hit on first listen, and an early candidate for one of the best songs of the year. The guitar melody hits from the beginning, and drops out as girl in red’s voice comes to the forefront with the first chorus. The song is built on contrast between what is pretty and soft and what is edgy and hard. The chorus’s are mainstream, anthemic, and clean, while the verses have edgy bass and vocal distortion. The concept on the chorus is simple, as she sings “I’m running low on serotonin/ Chemical imbalance got me twisting things”. Serotonin, commonly known as a happy chemical, is the neurotransmitter that contributes to depression as it is depleted. Girl in red is calling out to all her fans who may struggle with mental illness, putting into words how it feels to live life not just sad, but depressed. The chorus though, doesn’t sound like depression, it sounds like a lifting moment, a high of sorts, a separation from the pain. The verses though, are a sonic and lyrical representation of anxiety. She begins the second verse singing, “I get intrusive thoughts/ Like burning my hair off/ Like hurting somebody I love”. For any person struggling with their mental health, especially any young person in the modern world, the song is bound to be relatable. It’s a musical and emotional masterpiece, and a profound expression of what life feels like with mental illness.

Since its March 3rd release, “Serotonin” has hit 7.5 million streams on Spotify. It is poised to possibly overtake some of her biggest hits, and it is definitely a song to get on now before it completely blows up. Girl in red’s debut album If I Could Make It Go Quiet will be out April 30th, and the song should see a significant uptick in popularity with its release.

Last Night- Tom The Mail Man

Tom The Mail Man is one of the best living embodiments of the future of music. The Atlanta artists molds hip hop, rock, lo-fi, and rnb sounds into his work, and has quietly and prolifically created quite a catalog of music over the last few years. His influences include other artists who have had massive success bouncing between genres like Drake and XXXTentacion. He is a part of the new generation of music makers that are directly influenced by previous genreless music to make something the world has never heard before. His emotion is raw but his musicality is flawless. He gets lost in the songs and brings out emotions the listener didn’t know they had.

On “Last Night”, Tom sings over a catchy guitar melody and rock production. The sample is actually a Foo Fighters sample, which seems like it would be hard to clear, but Foo Fighters’ founder Dave Grohl personally liked the song enough to let Tom use it. On the record Tom builds up perfectly to an emotional crescendo, singing more cleanly until he finally lets out broken screams at the track’s darkest moment, and returning back to the catchy chorus to end it. The line he screams the loudest “How is everybody okay?/ When all everyone does is f***in’ roleplay” hits like a punch. It is a personal and concise take on the way it feels to live in a world that cares more about image than character. The song as a whole is deeply emotional and thoughtfully crafted, a hallmark of Tom’s music. The song touches on common themes in alternative hip hop made by the youth, most notably struggles with heartbreak, substance use, and mental illness. Right now he still occupies an alternative space as he makes his way from the underground to the mainstream, but Tom The Mail Man has the potential to write and sing mainstream hits. “Last Night” certainly feels that way.

Since its release on March 5, “Last Night” has hit over 300,000 streams on Spotify. Tom has multiple records with well over a million streams, and this one seems to be headed to join the club. If it catches more mainstream traction in the coming months, we could see “Last Night” really take off.

“i walk this earth all by myself”- Ekkstacy

Ekkstacy, a mysterious emo rap artist with little information out about himself on the internet, quietly dropped a song that easily rivals the mainstream work of his subgenre. His earliest song on Soundcloud was released only two years ago, and he has noticeably improved since then, refining his vocal tone and techniques, working with higher quality and more experimental production, and leaning harder and harder into the emotion of his work. So far in his career he has let the music do the talking, not getting overly caught up in image. Right now he is a bit of a mystery, but that adds to the allure of his music.

“i walk this earth all by myself” is a bold cut for an emo artist first and foremost because of the production. It is bouncy, both in terms of its melody and production. The beat feels nostalgic, and understated, but also like the perfect fit. The bass and the snare pattern drive the song forward, while the key/synth melody comes in to give it a different energy. His voice sounds filtered, and quietly floats over the track, but the tone of it is unlike anything you’ve ever heard, and the raw emotion is there in spades. Stacy, as he likes to be called, is working on a high level lyrically for an artist without much music out. He does what it takes to be great in his musical space, translating complex emotions into simple and relatable phrases people will want to scream at the top of their lungs. The two minute song features just 11 lines excluding repetition, and he makes sure that each one is purposeful and powerful. This is the anthem for lonely youth, the song for anyone who is good at being alone, but wishes they weren’t. The chorus itself begins with the title of the track, “I walk this earth all by myself/ I’m doing drugs but they don’t help”. The lyrics are painfully lonely and to the point, and that means this track transmits its message perfectly.

Since its release on March 5, “i walk this earth all by myself” has accumulated almost 100,000 streams on Spotify, which is extremely impressive for a track that was released independently. It should take time, as it does for any artist to get signed, build a brand, and become a big name, but make no mistake that Ekkstacy is headed towards making big waves in the industry.

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