THE REPORT: 10/18/24
THE REPORT: 10/18/24
GUAPO AND EVILGIANE CATCH THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT
Two Regulars of the Blog link up for some seasonally appropriate rap music. Evilgiane’s beat might be sampling something famous, but I haven’t seen enough horror movies in my life to call it. (Throw film recommendations in the chat.) To my ears, it hits like chopped and screwed John Carpenter, which is a basic read, but still—not wrong. Guapo’s woozy vocal fry is no doubt haunted.
A little update regarding the Hot Topic blog I posted earlier in the week: Somehow, when pasting the piece into the Substack content management system, I forgot to include one crucial entry: a paragraph about a song by Twenty One Pilots. It was supposed to happen between a paragraph about a song by South Korean boy band Enhypen and a paragraph about a song by screamo band Escape The Fate. An update has been made... Keeping the moody autumnal styles rolling, this new Her New Knife single is fresh, damaged rock, Philly style, co-signed by the Julia’s War camp.
Look, here at John’s Music Blog, we try to “stay in our lane” as much as possible. What that lane is, though, is anyone’s guess. I would say that it usually defaults to the three R’s: rap, rock, and rave. But then Christian Fennesz shares a cut from his first solo record in half a decade and you have to go and reassess your entire week. I’ve heard the term “emo ambient” thrown around over the years, and I would be lying if I told you I could define what that means, but some part of me intuitively knows that Fennesz makes emo ambient, in the most generous sense of the word.
Atlanta rapper Vayda’s new album is called VAYTRIX. That’s a good name. The record is 15 tracks in under 25 minutes and is both easygoing and agitated. The beat on “afrovay” almost feels like something Foxy Brown might’ve rapped over in the late 1990s, updated for a post-plugg reality. I was at the Atlanta airport for a few hours last week. I successfully restrained myself from getting a chili dog at The Varsity.
LU2K is not only the drummer for metalcore heavyweights Jesus Piece, he's also a sick DJ and producer. Taken from the new Nehza Records compilation, “Ez Tool 2” is pan-genre bass chaos. You better duck when that grime bass kicks in. Something about this track makes me want to put on a flat-brimmed cap and smoke weed in a Jeep. Tip!
LECTURE OF THE WEEK: Ka at the 2016 Red Bull Music Academy
Here is a long talk that serves as a fitting tribute to the recently-deceased rapper Ka, who, as interviewer Jeff Mao states at the beginning of the lecture, could be considered a “model of perseverance.” For anyone trying to navigate a life as an artist, it’s an inspiring listen. Though Ka had a day job as a firefighter, he always kept working on music. He arguably entered his prime as a rapper as he was pushing 40. Two key quotes: “It took me time to find my voice” and “I couldn’t stay away from this shit.” Ka’s commitment is reflected in his records, which are murky and lyrical and take New York formalist rap to new places. Another quote: “Are you prepared to do what you’re doing when it ain’t cool no more? That’s a passion.” RIP.