The Best and Worst of Rap This Week: YG's Massive Black Lives Matter Rally and More
Plus the Grammys' latest attempt to deal with their racist reputation, the wildest album cover of the year so far, and must-hear tracks by underground hero Mach-Hommy and Detroit up-and-comer Wanski.
Pitchfork's weekly rap column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, dances, weird tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches our attention in the world of hip-hop.
The Grammys' empty gesture
Black musicians have long rejected genre labels, wary of their work being segregated by the white powers that be. "To me the word 'jazz' means nigger, discrimination, second-class citizenship," said bandleader and bassist Charles Mingus in 1963, while Duke Ellington preferred the term "American music" over "jazz."
This skeptical mindset has remained constant: Earlier this year, Tyler, the Creator revealed similar feelings about his Grammy win for Best Rap Album. "It sucks that whenever we—and I mean guys that look like me—do anything that's genre-bending—they put it in a 'rap' or 'urban' category," he said. He's right—no term has been more limiting than "urban"—the Grammys might as well have just said, "Here's our award for some Black shit." The "urban" designation has been under scrutiny in the music industry at large for some time, and the Grammys have done little to fix the issue—that is, until their change of heart this week.
As part of the Recording Academy's supposed "commitment to evolve with the musical landscape," what was formerly known as the Best Urban Contemporary Album category has been renamed as Best Progressive R&B Album. But is that really any better? Or is "progressive" just the new "urban"? It seems like a half-assed solution for a committee desperate to escape years of being called out as racist. (Compounding the issue is the fact that the Grammys also just added the word "urban" to a Latin category.)
Of course, these changes arrive as protests demanding equality sweep through the nation. Similar to Washington D.C.'s Black Lives Matter mural, or New York's plan to name streets after the movement, or even HBO Max's decision to pull Gone With the Wind, it feels like the Grammys are trying to make their brand look progressive on the surface, while changing nothing about the systemic problems that still need to be addressed.
Superproducer-in-waiting Neeko Baby
It won't be a surprise if rap's next superproducer comes from the Carolinas. The neighboring states have become breeding grounds for hitmakers; both Pi'erre Bourne and Jetsonmade emerged from them. Next in line are South Carolina's Neeko Baby and Charlotte, North Carolina's Producer20. Neeko is behind the boards on "1942," by 19-year-old Carolina rapper 18Veno. When you listen to the song, it's hard to think about anything other than the production. Neeko Baby seamlessly blends a clean guitar, a twinkling melody, and the type of pounding percussion popularized by Jetson on his beats for DaBaby. Any rapper not in Neeko's IG DMs better get there.
Ask Alphonse: Is there a song that will make me stop being racist?
Racist Guy: Hey Alphonse, thanks for starting this advice column. Over the past couple of weeks, scrolling through social media, I've realized that I am a racist. Do you have any advice on how to stop being a racist—preferably a quick fix, like a song or album that will immediately change me? Thanks!
Alphonse: Hey Racist Guy, congrats, it only took an uprising for you to realize that you are racist. Typically, becoming not racist is a long process of self-educating, listening, building self-awareness, and making sacrifices. But since you're looking for a quick fix, it might be easier for you to just make it look like you're no longer racist. I suggest you post a screenshot of Kendrick's "Mortal Man" or the artwork for Solange's A Seat at the Table to your Instagram story, and make a TikTok to the mash-up of Childish Gambino's "This Is America" and Post Malone's "Congratulations." Good luck.
Preservation: "I-78" [ft. Mach-Hommy]
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New Mach-Hommy songs are special events. They appear rarely and they're not always accessible, but I'll drop everything to hear the Newark rapper lay down a verse on a moment's notice. On "I-78," Mach confidently steps into the cinematic world of beatmaker Preservation, who has been lacing premier underground rappers like Ka and Roc Marciano with his spirited tracks for some time. Mach sounds at home paired with the producer, and I listen to his words carefully, like he's revealing next week's winning lottery numbers. There are few rappers who give me that same feeling.
Most questionable album cover of the week: Rylo Rodriguez's G.I.H.F. (Goat in Human Form)
Wanski: "Victory"
Every few months, a new Detroit rapper swings down from the rafters and demands attention. Wanski is that rapper right now. He narrates murky stories about the shady ways he gets to the bag on beats that sound like they could play during the dramatic climax of a '90s crime thriller. "Yeah, Wanski was broke, that shit history/How the fuck he get all this money, shit a mystery," he raps lethargically on "Victory." In the Midwest, all eyes are on his next move.
YG and Black Lives Matter organize a 50,000-person protest in Los Angeles
Hotboii: Kut Da Fan On
West Orlando's Hotboii is the latest rapper from the South reflecting on his pain and struggles over melancholy pianos and warm guitars. He may not be a powerful singer like Rod Wave, a punchline wizard like Rylo Rodriguez, or as emotional as YoungBoy, but he knows how to tell a story. There's always room for that.
TagsRap RoundupMach-HommyYGRylo RodriguezWanskiRap
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