PnB Rock shot in LA
I’m kicking off the What’s Poppin? column with a death note this week – unfortunately not for the first time. Rapper and singer PnB Rock was shot dead at a Los Angeles restaurant while dining with his partner yesterday. It was probably a robbery, because the perpetrator took his jewelry and other valuables from the rapper after the attack.
Wild allegations are already circulating online against PnB Rock’s girlfriend, who recently mentioned the restaurant’s location in an Instagram story. The murder of Pop Smoke, who also accidentally leaked his location, happened in a similar way, but it’s still disconcerting if that’s enough to get him shot in public in broad daylight.
In addition to the allegations, you can also see many expressions of sympathy and RIP messages for PnB Rock: Drake, Quavo, Trippie Redd and many more have spoken via social media. The case of PnB Rock is another snapshot of the continuing spiral of violence in the rap scene, which is partly anchored in structural problems. PnB Rock is survived by his partner and two children.
After Pop Smoke there’s no way we as rappers or our loved ones are still posting locations to our whereabouts. To show waffles & some fried chicken????! He was such a pleasure to work with. Condolences to his mom & family. This makes me feel so sick. Jesus. #SIP #PnbRock ????
– Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2022
Kenny Beats – Louie (Album)
Producer Kenny Beats is without a doubt one of the most popular figures in the American hip-hop cosmos. In his YouTube freestyle format “The Cave” he has had half the scene as a guest over the years and on Twitch he regularly organizes beat contests with lively participation. Of course, his numerous collaboration albums with artists such as Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty and Vince Staples should not go unmentioned, which repeatedly show how diverse Kenny’s sound is. With this density of projects, it’s actually amazing that the jack of all trades never took the time for his own solo album – at least until recently.
With “Louie” Kenny Beats reflects on the time after his father’s cancer diagnosis and turns dark thoughts into an album filled with warm, soulful production. Many reference stations are only instrumental, but “Louie” is by no means a mere beat tape that the next generation of rappers should pounce on. Instead, Kenny gets isolated samples and musical contributions from friends like Omar Apollo, Mac De Marco, slowthai and Foushée and tailors them into a colorful patchwork carpet.
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Giggs – Da Maximum
Dear readers, I have to admit: I’m late to the party when it comes to Giggs. Very late. The guy is Grime-OG from the very beginning, he’s been stirring up British rap since the noughties and he’s not showing any signs of losing relevance in 2022 either. I first heard about Giggs on Drake’s “More Life” album and at the time I was still very irritated by his special performance in terms of voice and flow. Since then, however, it is exactly these unique selling points that have hooked me, also with Gigg’s latest single “Da Maximum”. With what callousness he here insane lines like „Still in the party, it’s May 18th / My birthday started on May the 11th“ recites and still doesn’t lose a bit of boss aura is a small feat. His tight voice may take some getting used to, but I can say from my own experience: give the man another chance!
Nicki Minaj – Super Freaky Girl
Nicki Minaj has done it again: Her new single “Super Freaky Girl” is currently going viral and proves that she remains the title defender for the “Queen of Rap” stamp even after more than ten years in the game. But what is the immense success of Nicki’s latest prank? For one thing, and let’s face it, Rick James has a hand in it. The now legendary funk sample comes from his song “Super Freak”, from which “Can’t Touch This” was made at the time and which now also serves as a template for “Super Freaky Girl”. But Nicki herself also does her part to make the song a hit: her lines are clever and witty, her attitude more self-confident than ever and the miracle machine TikTok did the rest.
Midwxst feat. BabyTron – 223’s
Midwxst has emerged over the past year as one of the figureheads of the new hyperpop generation with Glaive and Ericdoa. The newcomer has recently exchanged his rap sound for sugar-sweet pop melodies, screaming electro productions and a soft spot for unpredictable song structures. And Midwxst remains unpredictable, because: with the new single “223’s” it goes back to hip-hop. Strictly speaking, to Michigan, because the song is a thorough homage to the widespread Flint Rap or Detroit Rap. For this, Midwxst brought local rapper BabyTron on board, who is known for his quirky lines and chaotic beat changes. In the case of “223’s” there is only one beat, which is all the more brutal: pounding 808 basses and a distorted, scratchy sample that overdrives again and again and literally wants to break out of the song. This unusual Detroit noise fusion works wonderfully and makes me eagerly await Midwxst’s next output.
Yeat – Lyfë (Album)
Remaining productive, turban rapper Yeat is releasing his next project under the cryptic title Lyfë. The predecessor “2 Alivë” was only a few months ago, but since then a lot has happened for the newcomer from Oregon. With his song “Rich Minion” he skilfully picked up the hype surrounding the yellow one-eyed creatures and took the viral momentum around the new cinema film with him to land his next hit. However, the song is not included on the new album, instead there are 12 other songs that actually sound exactly the same as always.
You’re either a fan or a hater, but you wait in vain for a reinvention here. Yeat sticks to his edgy, psychedelic hyper-rap blueprint, complete with mumbled flows and idiosyncratic vocabulary. Only the song “Can’t stop it” is surprising and sounds a bit as if Kurt Cobain Yeat had appeared in the codeine slumber and had asked him to try his hand at grunge. The result is at least a pleasant change, and perhaps a good guide to how Yeat can expand his new-school style in the future.