The Rap Music Plug Podcast

Bonus - The Sleep Sinatra Summit w/ Freemusicempire & Camo Bucket Hats

Video animation by: Big Flowers

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

(Go to 0:49 to skip the intro)

Sleep Sinatra's recent run has been nothing short of amazing, culminating with the fantastic DIVINENATION that he dropped earlier this year.

To discuss Sleep's impact and what makes him standout in the crowd, I joined the Freemusicempire and Camo Bucket Hats (@CamoBucketHats on Twitter) for a fantastic far-reaching discussion.

I hope you enjoy this bonus episode while I'm on vacation. But most importantly, I hope you support Sleep Sinatra's fantastic music.

Support Sleep Sinatra here: https://sleepsinatra1.bandcamp.com/ 

Join the Freemusicempire here: https://freemusicempire.com/ 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#59 - Navy Blue - Navy's Reprise REVIEW

Video animation by: Big Flowers

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

(Go to 0:49 to skip the intro)

Another day, another Navy Blue record has dropped. As one of the most essential voices in all of hip-hop, I absolutely had to talk about it.

Navy knows how to name an album. Song of Sage, his 2020 opus, felt like a grand mission statement that perfectly captured what makes Navy... Navy.

Similarly, this latest album titled Navy's Reprise, feels like a reprise… like an addendum, an appendix to the main presentation that was Song of Sage.

By no means does this album not hold up on its own, but it doesn’t feel essential.

I feel this mainly through the production that feels a bit too lacking in impact, and rapping from Navy that certainly is great, and is consistently touching on similar topics of wisdom, freedom, etc… but unlike Song of Sage that felt like songs all added up to something larger than the sum of its parts, this set of tracks does not.

Navy's Reprise feels like a collection of like-minded songs that sound great, but don’t leave a lasting impression on me... like stray thoughts, loose ends, versus the complete picture that Song of Sage painted.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "Don't Get It Twisted"

Buy Navy's Reprise here: https://navybluethetruest.com/ 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#58 - Mach-Hommy - Pray for Haiti REVIEW

Video animation by: Big Flowers

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

(Go to 0:49 to skip the intro)

Mach-Hommy teamed up with Westside Gunn to create the long-awaited Pray for Haiti, Mach's Griselda return. 

Curated by Westside Gunn, this album is luxurious and smoother in sound than any other Mach album to-date.

I really do love how Mach sounds over these more airy melodically smooth productions, but I don't prefer this sound over the more tough grimy sound he's typically rapped over.

West has a unique ability to make his albums sound both gritty and luxurious at the same time... almost always managing to find the right balance.

But I think with Pray for Haiti, he turns the knob too much into the smooth category, making an album that is sonically very similar to Pray for Paris, but with even more smoothness to it that I don't think should've been present on this Mach album.

Even when the album leans more to his typical sound, the edge and grit behind the production sometimes lack that electric rawness that we get from his previous work.

This has nothing to do with Mach at all honestly, because Mach as a whole raps exceptionally well and focused on this album.

I really did like this album... but I guess it lacks just a bit of an IT factor in the production that takes some of the enjoyment away from me.

It's funny, because Pray for Haiti actually remedies the main gripes I had with Mach's Hard Lemonade... it's longer and more complete, but I think goes too far in the polished direction for my liking.

Mach himself absolutely killed this album though, and genuinely delivered one of his best rapping performances.

I just think West could've chosen a gritter set of instrumentals for him to rap over, as these beats washed over me a bit too much.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "The Stellar Ray Theory"

Stream Pray for Haiti here: https://open.spotify.com/album/7doW9YWOtpmqHBqAUuBaKO 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#57 - AKAI SOLO & Navy Blue - True Sky REVIEW

(Go to 0:49 to skip the intro)

AKAI SOLO and Navy Blue joined forces to create the highly-anticipated True Sky, a record that is surely to scratch your lyrical itch.

AKAI explores themes of knowledge of self, spirituality, liberation from oppressive structures, and liberation from the ways modern society controls people mentally... which serves as the lens that AKAI uses to make observations about those around him, and society as a whole.

AKAI has an intelligent mind clearly, but most importantly knows how to get his point across in highly original ways that makes what he's saying that much more impactful.

He knows how to balance poetic word choices, with tangible clearly articulated ideas that make his lyrics digestible, even if the subject matter is heavy.

Navy laces AKAI with sample-based instrumentals that are exquisitely jazzy, glitchy, heavily incorporating horns, saxophone, which all make this album feel very grand.

That being said, what True Sky really crystallized for me in Navy's production, is the mechanical nature of it all.

The drum patterns and choice of percussion are arguably the most interesting aspects of Navy’s production for me. The mix of the modern hi hats and 808s, alongside super strange rhythms make for a very interesting combination.

This Navy Blue mix of sound gives these often repetitive looped samples of string and brass a certain knock and head-nodding rhythm, due to these intricate drums that are on just about every single track.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "No Doubt (feat. Navy Blue)"

Stream/Buy True Sky here: https://akaisolo.bandcamp.com/album/true-sky 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#56 - Big Flowers INTERVIEW

Video animation by: Big Flowers

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

(Go to 0:49 to skip the intro)

The wonderfully multi-talented Big Flowers (Michael) joined the show to wax poetic on a number of topics concerning the hip-hop and art scene that he contributes great work towards.

We start by discussing the conception of Big Smile, and where Big Flowers' mind has been at throughout the pandemic (1:39).

Michael then details how Big Smile was a therapeutic recording process for him. (19:37)

As a member of a burgeoning movement of thoughtful hip-hop, Michael gives his takes on what from the underground right now (35:14).

Next, Big Flowers illustrates how he was able to orchestrate the significant levels of collaboration found on Big Smile (56:00).

Michael discusses what drew him to create Memories Gro , his re-invisioning of Memories Bleed by EYESWIDESHUT & Pepper Adams (1:10:05).

Since Big Flowers is an accomplished visual artist (who created the video animation for this very show!), we discuss why his visual design work is so special (1:19:53).

Finally, we talk about what the future holds for Big Flowers in 2021 (1:30:48).

Stream/Buy Big Smile here: https://bigflowers.bandcamp.com/album/big-smile 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

Bonus - What Makes a Compilation Successful? w/ Freemusicempire

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)

In light of the recent release of Mello Music Group's Bushido, in a special bonus episode, I joined the Freemusicempire's #stateofthegame series as a guest to discuss what makes a compilation successful.

We explored this topic through conversations on Bushido, Ryde or Die Vol. 1, and Anticon Label Sampler: 1999-2004. Enjoy!

Join the Freemusicempire here: https://freemusicempire.com/ 

Listen to Bushido here: https://open.spotify.com/album/5kCNU9ouaRoRtQNJrtfavl?si=6644467f8cf54d4d 

Listen to Ryde or Die, Vol. 1 here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1mQkCjNNs32GHM7nlEpA2N?si=4vhE68pRSn6eeBuIrI6DQg 

Listen to Anticon Label Sampler: 1999-2004 here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4MZdFFnHTU91NL3IuxJxlV?si=0a633be239f849a7 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#55 - J. Cole - The Off-Season REVIEW (feat. Jay El of The ByTown Blog)

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)

To discuss the highly polarizing J. Cole, and his latest album The Off-Season, I was joined by Jay El, the creator of The Bytown Blog, to better understand the perspectives of a true Cole Miner.

We dive into some potential misconceptions related to Cole fandom, how Cole reminds me of The Weeknd (?), and of course... discuss our thoughts on this latest album from Jermaine, which Jay El dubs his best album yet.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "let go my hand"

Listen to The Off-Season here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4JAvwK4APPArjIsOdGoJXX 

Check out Jay El's new blog: https://bytownblog.com/?fbclid=IwAR1_sin0mc29UNCA59AmbQ0surK2APRTzQ2mqSUDFGc6bktp16ZAN0_IEK8 

Check out Jay El's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy79w-sj5HyB8esfH8RllpA 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#54 - Cities Aviv - THE CRASHING SOUND OF HOW IT GOES REVIEW

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)

Cities Aviv is an artist that I was introduced to through my exploration into Memphis rapper Lukah's music this year, who's amazing recent record I reviewed, and who I interviewed last month.

And just like Lukah, Cities is one of the best musical discoveries I've had in a long time. From Memphis as well, Cities has been making cutting-edge hip-hop music for the past decade.

This album is like a bowl of lucky charms, with every single bite being that perfect mix of cereal and marshmallow charms... notice how I didn't say the album was consistent bites of JUST the marshmallow charms.

That's because the album has a perfect balance to it, walking the tightrope between a lot of variety of moods and textures. Never too sweet, too cold, or too abrasive.

This album is so VIBRANT, exuding colour and life, just as the beautiful album artwork would suggest. These beats truly have a life of its own.

Cities' rapping adds a great dimension of engagement to his music that really puts this album over the top. I always appreciated his lyricism, but the flows and the larger focus put on his lyrics on this album, in comparison with some of his recent work.... was an absolute highlight.

It’s not like lyrically Cities is “good for a producer rapper”... he’s legit good. His lyrics are often strikingly emotional and introspective, seeing Cities pour out his innermost thoughts and demons.

His vocals are not only sharp, but they tend to fit so snugly within these instrumental tapestries that he's built.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "Talking to the Flowers"

Listen to THE CRASHING SOUND OF HOW IT GOES here: https://citiesaviv.bandcamp.com/album/the-crashing-sound-of-how-it-goes 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#53 - Wiki & NAH - Telephonebooth REVIEW

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)

Wiki is a New York rapper, once part of the experimental hip-hop group Ratking, who is certainly a unique voice in the game. Teaming up with experimental producer NAH seemed like a natural fit for the left-field MC.

NAH's production here is very skeletal, but by no means dry. It draws from a distinctly 80s 90s sound pallet, infusing these instrumentals with pop, electronic, and rock influences.

The structure of this album's beats feature off-kilter very left-field drum patterns, 80s-90s pop, rock, electronic tones in the instrumentals... with a very glitch-hoppy aesthetic in the rhythms, along with these consistent blasts of bright sound that give this album a beautifully psychedelic feeling.

Telephonebooth gave me a similar feeling to Earl Sweatshirt's Some Rap Songs. Strictly in the sense that the songs were very short, with many ideas coming in and out quickly.

The key drawback I see in Telephonebooth though, is the other edge of the double-edged sword related to the nature of this album's leanness.

Wiki is very focused on these very short tracks, which is very appreciated. Except, unlike Some Rap Songs, Wiki doesn’t fully captivate me lyrically at all times, with an overall message that is less clear than I’d like.

Although he is definitely very focused on a specific topic on each track, is he always presenting complete thoughts? I don't think so. Often you don't get the full scope of the ideas presented on this album. This is largely due to the fact that the songs are just so short... and is magnified by the fact that these songs manage to have hooks and/or a lot of repetitive pseudo-hooks.

This brings me to the overall narrative I got from this album, which works to alleviate the importance of these drawbacks.

Wiki tackles each song like a mini conversation with someone on the phone. He's still transparent and vulnerable on the album, but he chooses to cover a large breadth of topics, versus deep-diving on one particular one.

Surely common themes emerge, but the details aren't deeply explored. So I do see myself wanting more detail at times... but there is simultaneously something intriguing in the way he gives you so many different but related thoughts. 

The genuine and raw atmosphere that he cultivates with his lyrics is great... and makes me keep wanting to press play over and over again.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "No Work"

Listen to Telephonebooth here: https://wiksetnyc.bandcamp.com/album/telephonebooth 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/ 

#52 - Kincee BabyFace Pearlis INTERVIEW

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)

The enigmatic Kincee BabyFace Pearlis joins the show for a conversation that I hope demystifies the incredibly talented Jennings, Louisiana MC... as he gives us rare insight into his unique lyricism, artistic approach, and business model. I have been ADDICTED to Kincee's music for the last few months, so I hope you all enjoy this conversation and tap in to this man's art.

We start our conversation at the beginning, uncovering how Kincee started rhyming, and the significance of his name and signature mask that he dons (3:03).

Kincee then details his time in the military, and how it shaped his worldview (5:59).

Next, we dive into his unique writing process and the central lyrical themes of his work (9:22).

Kincee discusses why he prefers to stand out with his abstract lyrical approach, and gritty sound (12:31).

Kincee details the cosmic connection he has with legend producer, August Fanon (17:27).

We next discuss Kincee's out-of-the-ordinary business model (23:47).

Kincee describes what makes his incredible collaborative albums with August Fanon so special, including his very rare BoKoR and BGOD records (32:33).

Next, Kincee details how his style has evolved more left-field over the years (39:26).

As an incredible visual artist, explains his fantastic visuals that accompany his music (41:19).

Kincee then talks about his views on NFTs, and the future of music distribution (43:43).

Finally, Kincee highlights the vast array of projects he has coming up in the rest of 2021 (48:28).

Listen/Buy Kincee's music here: https://kincee.com/ 

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For artist development/writing services, DM me @rohview on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Let's stay connected! Find me here: https://rmpp.carrd.co/