Legacy Track of the Week: Dizzy Wright ft Chel’le - Slow Down
“Life ain't always easy, there's no comfort with growth/ learn your subconscious, just stay conscious, there's a good and bad road/ you need to slow down, baby/ don't let 'em manipulate your smile/ you need to slow down, baby/ you need to slow down, down, down” Maybe the most important and overlooked record of 2019, a message we’ve heard in hip-hop before but is more relevant than ever before.
Dizzy Wright ft Mozzy - Self Love is Powerful
“I apologize if I hurt you along the way (for real)/ self love is powerful, heard it's the only way (word)/ self love is powerful, heard it's the only way (word)/ drowning in my thoughts, what if I lost it all today?” Dizzy Wright released his 5th album in 2019 entitled Nobody Cares, Work Harder, and the Flint, Michigan / Las Vegas, Nevada product came one step closer to becoming a household name. Also s/o Mozzy who had the best year of his career as well.
Dizzy Wright - Problems and Blessings
“We were scraping for pieces, motivational speeches/ told me take it or leave it/ learn what I learned, but at that time I just felt so defeated/ everyone was eating, my heart was racing and beating/ my demons keep trying to get even” In the era of mumble rap this is a breath of fresh air, even though the name Dizzy Wright might sound like more of the same. To much surprise, however, this is more cut from the golden era than the industry and art form now run on social media.
Dizzy Wright - Kill the Tension
“I don't wanna fight right now, wouldn't you rather smoke? Right now we should kill the tension risin'-risin'” Another vibe off Nobody Cares, Work Harder, where a year later this album still belongs in rotation.
Swoope ft Jaylon Ashaun - 241
“Uh, wife never hit me with the neck snap/ cause she found a text from my girl with the eggplant (Woo)/ cause she the one that text that (yeah)/ so a peach emoji is what I text back/ then she sent me something' that I can't rap/ I said I'd be on my way ASAP” Akron, Ohio’s own Swoope released his Two for One EP in early 2019, and with his veteran status that includes roots in gospel and Christian hip-hop, he delivers one of the more respectable EP’s of the year.
Swoope ft Jaylon Ashaun - MVP
“Woke up flawless, mirror gorgeous/ clock in, clock out, weekend, party” An apparent deviation from the Christian hip-hop that he’s associated with, this is actually respectable turn-up music.
Swoope ft Natalie Lauren - Catch 22
“Can't win or lose, we just - it's a catch 22” I’m just getting familiar with Swoope, but introspective relationship raps is clearly his lane.
RT2, Trina - Jack in the Box
“Pull up, pop out, call me Jack in the Box/ open 24/7 is you coppin or not/ every whip got a button that be droppin the top/ bumpin that Cam’ron and Weezy you gon suck it or not” Trina released some new music in 2019, and although the collaborative RMG Compilation is otherwise unnoteworthy, this particular track is absolute flames 🔥🔥🔥
KXNG Crooked - UP2THESUN
“I've been double crossed, no medallion/ a city full of lost niggas wildin’” Crooked I has released a slew of EP’s and miscelleaneous tracks over the last year, and over the classic Nas and Lauryn sample the West Coast veteran holds his own.
KXNG Crooked - Pain Away
“I just wanna take my fuckin’ pain away/ just wanna take my fuckin’ pain away/ a bottle of Jameson was my best friend/ cause misery loves company” Using the sample from 2Pac’s classic Pain record that was most recently heard in J. Cole’s classic See World, the fellow Death Row alum pays homage and does his numbers as well.
Deante Hitchcock - Side ***** Anthem
“Monogamy or ménage à trois, the mental plight of the black man/ you know you thought the one that you had bagged was bad/ til you fuck around and meet the bad friend” Dreamville affiliate Deante Hitchcock’s stock continued to rise throughout 2019, and produced by Brandon Phillips-Taylor this is one of his best efforts off Just A Sample 2.