Generic list post: December 2020

"The tick-tock up in my watch froze like Eskimos
Oh yessir, we up in China eatin' egg-a-rolls"

Dude 'n Nem - Watch My Feet
(From single; 2007/Tinted Incubators album; 2009)


Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when we say farewell to the year China's diet went from egg-a-rolls to infected bats. I suffered through the year and sat through so many Tiers. Happy frigging NYE.

Da Kamp - We So Ghetto (1999)
Mic Terror - Hoopty Music (2008)
Attitude ft. Jackie Chain - Money (2009)
AZ - Different (2020)
Yung Cat - Ya Know (2020)
Cuzin Jiggy - Cadillac Slidin' (2020)
GetEmTree - Look Stupid (2020)
ZelooperZ - Tryna Figure Out Where My Phone At? (2020)
Psychotropic - Hypnosis (SL2 remix) (1992)
UNiiQU3 - UNiiQU3'S Groove (Get Down) (2020)
The Attraction - She's A Girl (1966)
Beabadoobee - Care (2020)

Other notables: very pleased that Homeboy Sandman's Waiting On My Girl got blessed with a video which is as good as the song; Mac J's OnaSet makes a decent B-Side to Sparky; sad to say that Kurupt's voice sounds totally shot on NHale's new single.

Bonus beats: best songs of 2020 and best late pass discovery songs of 2020.

Birds can do Baton Rouge Brawl Music™ too (part 4)

"Said you pressure when you come back, I was pressure when I left
I see why they lookin' at me, I be lookin' at myself"

GetEmTree - Look Stupid
(From YouTube; 2020)


Passed on her last two singles but I'm feelin' this new echo-party pressure from GetEmTree AKA Webbie without a willy AKA the tomboy with a Tommy drum gun AKA Baton Rouge's answer to Katie Got Bandz AKA Lily Savage Life. If Alex McPherson doesn't write a 1000 word GetEmTree article for The Guardian in 2021 then he's all talk and might as well join Kool G. Rap & Akinyele's Bitch Haters Club.

Rather UNiiQU3

UNiiQU3 - UNiiQU3'S Groove (Get Down)
(From UNiiQU3'S Groove (Get Down) single; 2020)


Pretty funny that this has ended up one of my favourite choonz of 2020 - Jersey Club is not a type of music I've had any interest in previously, so UNIIQU3 is the siren luring me onto Jersey's shore. Basically, this track is some Loopmasters sample pack Hip-House which strikes the exact perfect balance between Hip-Hop and House; straight to the pleasure-centre dance music that'll turn your living room into a rave pon lockdown and beyond.

Mere coincidence or is UNiiQU3's moniker a homage to British Rave pioneers Unique 3? Top tip for Jersey Club producers: pitch Unique 3's Musical Melody instrumental up slightly, add some booty-chatter™, and you've got yourself the first great banger of 2021.

Unique 3 - Musical Melody
(From Musical Melody single; 1990)

Cuzin Jiggy With It

"And I'm flexin', ridin', Cadillac slidin'
This shit a machine, type to take you back in time"

Cuzin Jiggy - Cadillac Slidin'
(From DTS EP; 2020)


Christmas comfort food in the form of some old fashioned regional Gangsta-Rap which sounds closer to Pittsburg California than its actual home of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania (plus a much-unexpected interpolation of a New Orleans classic at the end!?) In a year when half these Rappers forgot how to write hooks it's nice to hear a song that's 60% chorus.

Late pass! Hoopty dreams

"Tank on E, blazin' that weed
Ain't got insurance like f*ck the police!
If you you ain't got sounds turn ya radio loud
This a Mano beat so it's still gonna pound
Ayyyyy, you ain't got no Benz but you can do it
Because this ain't for the ballers, this hoopty music
Ayyyyy, you ain't got rims but you can do it
Because this ain't for the ballers, this hoopty music"

Mic Terror - Hoopty Music
(From The Terrordome Vol. 2 mixtape; 2008)


I'm a Mic Terror connoisseur but he still has cuts I've accidentally treated like a red-haired stepchild. For example, I totally slept on Hoopty Music even though it's one of Mic's best pairings with Million $ Mano production and it's good enough to have been his third single after Cold As Hell and Juke Them Hoes. A pean to everyday entrepreneurialism and livin' la dolce vita within one's means, it also triggers good memories for ya host - Mic T sold fake coke to white folks, Marty sold fake acid tabs from Plastikman's Sheet One CD to posh kids.

Father forgive me - it was the late 90s, I was on a tight budget, and imported Rap CDs and 12"s were expensive.

AZ you were

"Down in the tombs 30 years can bring a n*gga to tears
Neutralised, numb and scared, can you imagine you there?
I'm elsewhere, my chick pussy pretty, shaved like a pear
Her derrière make a queer n*gga sit there and stare
This is the year, since the ball dropped been ballin' on top
Then came the Kobe death, Covid, and cops"

AZ - Different
(From Different single; 2020)


Son, who laced you with the ill Soul-crack? Been testing this one for the past week and my conclusion is that it's categorically the best original AZ song since We Movin'. Some non-fancy 70's baby New York Rap that's still flyer than Aladdin's magic carpet. Bite ya lip, let's hope Doe Or Die 2 sounds like this.

Be rude not to discreetly add this to my 2020 songs list.

Remember remember Nickatina & Jacka?

AKA damn it's been a decade since My Middle Name Is Crime and the EP from whence it came?

Andre Nickatina & The Jacka - We Miss You Furl
(From My Middle Name Is Crime EP; 2010)

Andre Nickatina · We Miss You Furl

Never been able to decide whether I wish Nickatina & Jacka had rhymed over this beat or it's most evocative as it is as a wordless ode to lost ones. Probably the latter since it made for hecka emotive backing music to those Jack History Month videos which Thizzler did a couple of years ago. I ain't too familiar with We Miss You Furl's producer K-Maxx but maybe I should since he was also behind my fave track on the EP where Andre & Shaheed went full tag-team on some Erick & Parrish Making Blapz type shit.

Andre Nickatina & The Jacka - Square Crows
(From My Middle Name Is Crime EP; 2010)

Andre Nickatina · Square Crows

"Down for the count like Dracula's people" was such a hot line that Jacka used it on Square Crows and Loyal To The Mob. Great simile, Jacka pushed heat like a chimney sweep.

The obligatory best Rap songs of 2020 list

2020: the year when Kevin Gates created Coronavirus or sumfink.

You probably wanna read another opening blurb about The Year None Of Us Will Ever Forget™ about as much as I wanna write one so let's just get on this this eh? In no particular order of preference, here's the songs which are soundtracking my 2020, including a handful of songs from the dying days of 2019. The list also features a handful of artists I don't particularly like for whom the stars aligned briefly on one glorious song I couldn't resist; however, please believe this doesn't mean that the list contains any Drake, Griselda, Lil' Baby, Gunna, Run The Jewels, London Drill songs, or Pitchfork poptimism - a man's gotta have some standards.

Best Rap songs of 2020 IMHO:
Duke Deuce - Bad News
Max B - Phenomenon
Flo Milli - Not Friendly
Mic Terror - Ride
Gzus Piece - Hot Tub TIme Machine
YG - Swag
79rs Gang - 79rs Bout To Blow
Mozzy - Big Homie From The Hood
Trap Beckham ft. Flo Milli - Back It Up
Homeboy Sandman - Waiting On My Girl
Eatem - Spent It All
Rio Da Yung OG - Groovy
Mick Jenkins - Carefree
Mac J - Free Bris
Bris - First 42 Hours Freestyle
Boldy James & The Alchemist - Speed Demon Freestyle
Dee-1 - Corona Clap (O.G video version)
Heavy Steppers - Whateva
Megan Thee Stallion - Savage
Yhung T.O - You Know
DJ Preservation ft. TREE - Money In The Wild
P-Lo - Get Me Lit
GetEmTree - Opp Watching
AZ - Different
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - Sudden Death
NHale - Dealin' Wit A Hoe
Sada Baby - Whole Lotta Choppas
Nefew - Blockaholic
Open Mike Eagle ft. Video Dave - Headass (Idiot Shinji)
Ka - I Love (Mimi, Moms, Kev)
YN Jay & Louie Ray - Reflection
Pop Smoke - Armed N Dangerous
DJ Chose ft. BeatKing - Thick
DB Tha General - Upgrade Em 3
Ether Da Connect ft. Mr. Swipey & Waka Flocka Flame - WAKA (Remix)
Nef The Pharaoh - ABC
Sleepy Hallow ft. Sheff G - Molly
Yung Cat - Ya Know
Cuzin Jiggy - Cadillac Slidin'
ShuggyBo - What I Like

Best non-Yank Rap songs of 2020 IMHO:
J Hus ft. Burna Boy - Play Play
S1mba ft. DTG - Rover
Pa Salieu ft. BackRoad Gee - My Family
M1llionz - B1llionz

Best Other Genres™ songs of 2020 IMHO:
Dua Lipa - Good In Bed
SAULT - Wildfires
Jenevieve - Baby Powder
Usher ft. Ella Mai - Don't Waste My Time
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - Texas Sun
Koffee - Lockdown
UNiiQU3 - UNiiQU3'S Groove (Get Down)
Moodymann - Just Stay A While
Maurice Fulton & Peggy Gou - Jigoo
Beabadoobee - Care
Juiceboxxx - Deal With The Dream
Archers Of Loaf - Rayleigh Days
The Chats - The Clap

Bonus beats: the obligatory 2020 late pass list.

The obligatory 2020 late pass list

Archaeology for those who dig it, post-mortem. 36 songs from years past which have become personal favourites in 2020. I call this the Corona list because it's proper sick.

Andwella - Hold On To Your Mind (1970)
Ennio Morricone - Svolta Definitiva (1970)
The Flys - Love And A Molotov Cocktail (1978)
The Beat - Noise In This World (1980)
Jennifer Lara - I Am In Love (1981)
Tailor Made - Fast Lane (instrumental mix) (1985)
Smiley Culture - Roots Reality (1985)
Captain G. Whiz - Red Alert promo (1987)
Dangerous Dame - My Name Is Dame (1989)
Intelligent Hoodlum - The Rebel Returns (1989)
Michigan & Smiley - Tom's Diner (1990)
Monie Love - Don't Funk Wid The Mo (1990)
39 Posse - Got What It Takes To Make It (1991)
Mac Dre & Khayree - Times R Gettin' Crazy (acoustic) (1991)
Aretha Daye ft. MC Chan - No More (Making Love) (1991)
Psychotropic - Hypnosis (SL2 remix) (1992)
Chilee Powdah - Nuthin' But Game (1996)
D'Angelo ft. Redman - Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine (Def Squad mix) (1996)
Ghetto Mafia - In Decatur (1998)
Prince - Love Sign (Shock G's Silky Remix) (1998)
Sire Sensai - 1999 (1999)
Mac Dre - Doin' What I Do (2001)
Jhi-Ali - My Way (2005)
Field Mob - At The Park (2006)
Husalah - Slap N Da Trunk (2006)
Mic Terror - Hoopty Music (2008)
Hollywood Holt & Million $ Mano - The Show (2011)
Juiceboxxx - Like A Maniac (2015)
79rs Gang - Drama (2015)
Donae'O - Marimba (2017)
Mac J & Bris - Forgot About Me (2018)
Cavalier - Go Brooklyn (2018)
The Chats - Pub Feed (2019)
Flo Milli - Beef FloMix (2019)
Pronto Spazzout - Jiggy Music (2019)
Casanova - Jail Call (2019)
High five to those of you who recommended me some of these songs, hat tip to meself for comin' across the rest. Like I always say, it's never been easier to search for music from the past, but findin' songs you love remains as tricky as ever dunnit?

Bonus beats: also came across across a couple of videos I'd never seen before for two bona fide 80's Rap classics. First was Woppit by B. Fats, and second was the formerly banned video for A Nightmare On My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Both videos have made me love each song even more than I did beforehand so job's a good 'un to everybody involved.

Clock of the heart (no Culture Club) part 2

Homeboy Sandman - Waiting On My Girl
(From YouTube; 2020)


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Doseone. I watched Jel-beams glitter in the dark near the Odd Nosdam. All those moments will be lost in time, like minutes spent waiting for women when they're in bedrooms, bathrooms, or changing rooms. Time to leave already, luv!!!

Gotta love it when a great song gets blessed with an equally great video. Slightly #problematic but utterly realistic Rap. I'll say this for Homeboy Sandman - when his music and my taste do converge it's always on some idiosyncratic bugged-out shit which could only come from him. And if that ain't the very definition of It Hits Different™ then I dunno what is.

Wanted dead or alive: I'm An Asshole by Mic Terror

Anybody got the MP3 of this? All zShare linx have long since been nuked and there's only live versions on YouTube. Where's Rey when I need him? Somebody, anybody, help me, screeeeaaaam.

Quelle surprise: Google tells me that Bol liked this song which is both a total shock and totally on-brand. That's Bol AKA the world's only black bloke who prefers Run The Jewels to Killer Mike's music beforehand.

**EDIT** Cheers to Russian Ray for hookin' up the MP3. Strap your tinfoil snapbacks on for this one, lads.

Mic Terror - I'm An Asshole
(From King Of The New School mixtape; 2009)

Cat Tone back again

Yung Cat - Ya Know
(From Fat Tone Jr. album; 2020)


Via Yohan, a Yung Cat single I'd missed. Cat's always good for one slap a year, particularly when the aforementioned slap finds him colouring between Fat Tone's lines in the style of Husalah's hyperactive country-cousin from Kansas City.

Here starts the petition for a deluxe CD reissue of Fat Tone's Tha Stick Up Kid album with liner notes from C-Bo, Yung Cat, and whoever runs the OnlyNKillaCity YouTube channel.

Deal with it

Juiceboxxx - Deal With The Dream
(From It's Easy To Feel Like A Nobody When You're Living In The City album; 2020)

JUICEBOXXX · Deal With The Dream

Proper Brat-Wave bubblegum Power-Pop from Juicy B & The Thunder Zone Band. If I say Deal With The Dream is catchier than an STD in Times Square circa the early 80s it's not to lower the tone, but because this shit wouldn't have sounded outta place in season two or three of The Deuce. Song surely woulda been a single if Juiceboxxx hadn't vanished entirely from the internet.

The Flys - Love And A Molotov Cocktail
(From Love And A Molotov Cocktail 7" single; 1978)

Dorothy B-Orridge · THE FLYS // Love and a Molotov Cocktail

Let's be honest here - 70's New Punk Rock ain't a patch on 70's British Punk Rock. The proof? Even a third-tier U.K group of Coventry oiks like The Flys have a legit 10/10 gobshite Punk classic which bodies the combined discographies of the entire 70's New York scene other than Blondie, The Ramones and the one good Richard Hell & The Voidoids song. New York's alright if you like junkies with nary a decent tune in sight!