When it comes to dropping albums, rapper 5TASH doesn’t do half measures and delivers 15 fresh tracks through his latest full-length album, ‘I, The Collector’.
Unlike to his previous set, ‘I, 5tash Banks’, which has a braggadocious presence throughout, ‘I, The Collector’ is a little more laid back in comparison, starting off with a smooth 80s soulful funk bounce with tracks like ‘Real P’ + and ‘Get Up’. This album sees the rapper experiments with laid-back trap sounds through tracks such as ‘Waisted’, ‘Steve Banks (I, The Collector)’ and ‘Movie’, where he works in his askew, gravelly flow which set him apart from his rap contemporaries.
Not what I expected from 5tash, but nevertheless it’s great to see a different side to this great rap contender. Check out ‘I, The Collector’ below…
Must listen: Real P +; Get Up!; Wvlk, P’ing! (Big Puddle); 6+6
Sampled from Darko The Super’s 2021 album, ‘Great White Buffalo’, DEAN FRIEDMAN’s mammoth album, ‘The Dean And I’ is a compilation that can be enjoyed across generations – from the futuristic sounds of intro single, ‘You’re Such A Flirt’, to pop soulful ballads inspired from the seventies and eighties (such as Lucky Stars, Little Green Lady and Buy My Baby A Car) and also chirpy pieces (Nookie In The Mail, McDonald’s Girl and The Deli Song) that puts you in the mind of the Grease Musical, particularly ‘McDonald’s Girl’.
Covering array of topics relating to love young and adolescence, the album features coming-of-age tales ‘Don’t You Ever Dare’ and ‘Are You Ready Yet,’ which focus on the responsibilities of adulthood and the decisions we make, while ‘Rocking Chair (It’s Gonna Be Alright)’ is a positive reaffirmation that when times are bad, they’ll always get better.
‘The Dean And I’ may be 20-track long, but by no means will you not lose attention as Friedman’s high-spirited take on the aforementioned topics on the collection just displays him as one of America’s greatest songwriters around.
Released through Darko The Super’s indie label, U Don’t Deserve This Beautiful Art, ‘The Dean And I’ is now available for your pleasure.
Must Listen: Lucky Stars; Little Green Lady; Buy My Baby A Car; Let Down Your Hair
OLOFF circles back to the limelight with second project of the year, ‘Sameways’, which sonically takes on a more sombre route than its predecessor, ‘Expat’, which carries an appeasing presence of retro soul and samples that’s associated with the Golden Hollywood era.
A downtempo, yet somewhat airy electronic drive dominates the ten track set momentarily interrupted by melodic chants (as heard in intro track, ‘Always’), 808/hip-hop beats (in ‘Bonce’ and ‘Half Open’).
Covering the themes of eternal recurrence, amphetamines, paranoia and circular living, ‘Sameways’ concludes with alternating sounds of industrial soundscapes, that can pierce through the coldest of souls, and hypnotic chants.
Sometimes, I wonder what goes through the mind of this indie rapper, who creatives extreme off-the-cuff material that somehow (I think) has potential widespread appeal. If you’re inquisitive enough to enter Oloff’s world, why not hit the button on the album below.
An attention-grabbing jittering sound comes piercing through first track ‘Automatic’, giving a bold introduction to FLY VON‘s latest mixtape, ‘FlyMix Vol.2’.
The prospective listener would be given if the seven-track set follows through with the jarringly-dope tone offered up in the intro track. However ‘FlyMix Vol.2’ changes direction and gives a smooth run of lack-laid slow jams vibing with a heavy bass that gives each arrangements that extra kick – with the exception of ‘Broke In A Minute’ which pretty much takes on a similar tone as ‘Automatic’, boasting a looping horn that goes rampant with fly’s flow oozing into the boisterous sound.
The mixtape eases down and concludes with ‘No Surprise’. With trance-like and hazy soundscapes, ‘No Surprise’ is a type of track that you kick back and roll up on your own or with some friends.
Fly Von always comes different and this mixtape is sure to ascend nicely on his ever-fly discography – get it? Oh never mind; Check ‘FlyMix Vol.2’ out below plus songs recommendations below…
After rocking the blog with singles, ‘Peruvian Encrusted Swordfish’, ‘Detlet, plus album ‘Dream Team: A Stokely Hathaway Joint’, all of which he collaborated with good friend and rapper Jihad Scorcese, it’s great to catch up with producer JASON GRIFF to discuss his debut album‘Fireside Chats‘ – and also to remember Scorcese, who sadly passed away in January.
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
JG: Thank you! It got off to a rough start two weeks in when Scorcese passed away. It was, and still is, hard to bounce back from that, but I’m handling it as best I can. Other than that, it’s been pretty good.
NLM: You recently released your debut album, ‘Fireside Chats’ back in May. What is the public perception on the project so far?
JG: So far everyone seems to really like it. I got a lot of praise and coverage from outlets that had not really shown any love in the past so that’s exciting. I’m sure a lot of people hate it too but I haven’t heard much of that and it probably wouldn’t phase me anyways.
NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
JG: It’s a punk rock-inspired hip-hop album. But it’s not a bunch of corny mash-ups, it sounds like a rap album. You can enjoy it if you’re not in to punk at all.
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
JG: When I was a teenager I was heavy in the punk scene, going to shows all the time. I got older and started making beats so I had the idea to combine my two favorite genres.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
JG: There’s 2. “Adapt” feat. Alaska is one because he really killed that beat and gave me a lot to play with and take it to the next level. The other is “Summer of Punk” feat. Scorcese. He really did the work on that one. The first version he did was cool but I gave him a bunch of research to do and he ended up referencing all those bands throughout the song.
NLM: The album features a host of promising rappers, including Scorcese (who sadly pass away in January 2021). What was it like working with him?
JG: He was like a rap personal trainer, always pushing you to take it up a notch to the next level. I wouldn’t be releasing music in 2021 if I hadn’t met him.
NLM: How did your friendship with Scorcese came to fruition?
JG:We met via Zilla Rocca when Scorcese was looking for producer to do remixes of an album he had put out. I did one for the project and we hit it off right away and started working on the Dream Team album.
NLM: What are the top three qualities you would associate with Scorcese?
JG: Dedication. Hustle. Humor.
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
JG: Yes! I have an album called Human Zoo with Alaska coming out in September via Insubordinate Records. I’ll also have productions on several projects from other artists and some singles and maybe a beat tape or two. At the label we will have Alex Ludovico’s solo album and some posthumous Scorcese releases.
NLM: How can potential fans find you?
insubordinaterecords.com will get you all of my music. I’m on Twitter and IG as @iamjasongriff and a majority of my catalog is on all streaming platforms, just search for Jason Griff (or sometimes just Griff)
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