Rude Awakening

Pookie F'n Rude ft. E-40 - Da N***a (video mix)
(From YouTube; 2025)


New bumper-bonker from Pookie F'n Rude AKA the fat fella responsible for two of my favourite L.A singles of the past few years with Hold Up and Put That On Everythang. Part Kokane, part E-40, all west coast offkey bam-bams you can step to. This video mix differs from the version on his Rebirth Of The West album due to a 2nd Pookie verse after the E-40 cameo. A 2025 Rap song with 3 verses? How novel.

When did it become acceptable for rappers to walk around with septum rings looking like crusty Punk-Rock beezys? Holla at me, pop a leather collar at me, send a freaky white bitch like Beki Bondage at me.

Hi kidz, do you like violins?

LARussell & Wiz Khalifa - I Might Be
(From I Might Be single; 2025)


Damn! Nef The Pharaoh has spent the last 11 years pioneering and perfecting Thizz Khalifa-core only for LARussell to come along and put Wiz Khalifa on a Kush & O Bay type beat which brings The Old Wiz™ out. Professional Rap music choonage with Wiz and Russell both delivering their own separate choruses.

Mello Music Group (part 3)

"Flame a n*gga up and grill his ass, barbecue
Paid to fuck, don't ask me if I'm eatin', bitch, I barely chew
Always front for Instagram, n*gga you barely you
How the f*ck you tryna score a point and n*ggas barely shoot?"

Mello Buckzz - Barely Chew
(From YouTube; 2025)


Colder than the temperature in one of Putin's penal colonies. However, this shit needed a second verse IMHO. Thus, rather than consider it an A-side, I'm gonna use this shit as the B-side to Move Pt. 2.

Props to Mello for lookin' sexy while dressed like 2003 era Juelz Santana while wearing some Deidre Barlow lookin'-ass glasses. Ain't naan a bird looked that good in a pair of Cazals since Isabelle Adjani in The Tenant.

F**k a cop, he get Spirited Away and turnt to a porkchop

Seiji Oda ft. Young Bari - Mobby Miyazaki
(From Mobby Miyazaki EP; 2025)


Props to Seijj Oda & his m8 for creating the missing link between Studio Ton and Studio Ghibli. Seiji's now had 5 hot singles in a row so here's a Quinary of Quiet-Knock Quality™ playlist of them.

~~ Seiji's Got 5 On It ~~

1. A Gentle Gigg (2024)
2. Last Summer (2024)
3. Peaceful2 ft. LARussell (2024)
4. HUU! ft. Iamsu (2025)
5. Mobby Miyazaki ft. Young Bari (2025)

Generic list post: G.O.A.T late career singles IMHO

My lil tribute to Angie Stone has got me thinkin' about the greatest late-career singles in music history. Creative sparks can disappear in a cocaine heartbeat and so it's a miracle when an artist 15 years deep into their career records a great single. So, here are the 30 best examples of this phenomenon according to me. I'm not sayin' all these songs were the last great single the particular artist dropped, I'm just sayin' the song is a Martorialist classic the artist dropped long after they first debuted.

Mac Dre - Feelin' Myself (2004)
Too $hort - Blow The Whistle (2006)
Howlin' Wolf - Evil (electric) (1969)
Dr. Dre ft. Snoop, Kurupt & Nate Dogg - The Next Episode (1999)
James Brown - Papa Don't Take No Mess (1974)
Angie Stone - Wish I Didn't Miss You (2001)
DOOM - Gazzillion Ear (2010)
Kurious - Cow's Eye (2024)
UGK - The Game Belongs To Me (2006)
E-40 ft. B-Legit & Stresmatic - Rear View Mirror (2011)
Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up (1977)
Diana Ross - Upside Down (1980)
Mystikal - Hit Me (2012)
DJ Quik ft. Suga Free & Ty Dolla $ign - Nobody (2011)
Young Bleed - Holla At Uh Dog (2011)
5th Ward Weebie - Let Me Find Out (2014)
LL Cool J - Luv U Better (2002)
Danzig - Black Candy (2010)
Ramones - I Don't Wanna Grow Up (1995)
Jamie Jupitor - Future Computer (2016)
Geto Boys - G Code (2005)
De La Soul ft. MF DOOM - Rock Co.Kane Flow (2004)
Busta Rhymes - Don't Touch Me (Throw Da Water On 'Em) (2009)
Ka - I Love (Moms, Mimi, Kev) (2020)
Chaka Khan - Like Sugar (2018)
Body Count - Talk Shit, Get Shot (2014)
Juvenile ft. Mannie Fresh - Party (2024)
The Isley Brothers - Between The Sheets (1983)
Common & Pete Rock - Wise Up (2024)
Mr. Fingers - Qwazars (2016)

I was gonna do this list in order of preference but gave up on that notion after the first song. Ranking and rating songs is for tubby music critics in t-shirts with stretched neckholes.

If we sacrifice Oliver Stone to a volcano can we get Angie Stone back?

The Sequence - Simon Says
(From Sugar Hill Presents The Sequence album; 1981)


R.I.P to Rap's soul sista number one Angie Stone, the O.G Queen of Hip-Hop Soul before Mary J. Blige. Real headz know that Simon Says is as good as Funk You Up and one of the last great Disco-Rap era choonz full stop. That shit thumps so doggone hard they had to call the national guard. But it's important to remember that Angie kilt shit like kitty litter in multiple decades.

Vertical Hold - Seems You're Much Too Busy
(From A Matter Of Time album; 1993)


As for Wish I Didn't Miss You, it's one of the greatest late-career singles of all time in any genre innit. Me, I consider it an even better song than Back Stabbers and plz believe that is not a slight to Back Stabbers. I just hope Ezale cut Miss Stone a cheque for that shit when him & HawkBeatz flipped it on Ironic.