Fresh Is The Word

Wiz Khalifa - What's Hannin' (live)
(From the On The Radar YouTube channel; 2025)


LARussell & Wiz Khalifa's I Might Be is such a killer single it inspired me to peep Wiz's new long-touted sequel to his Kush and Orange Juice mixtape. Naturally, I Mught Be is the best choon on there, but there's a couple of other legit jams including a sad boi wavy song produced by DJ Fresh called What's Hannin'. Wiz performed it live for the On The Radar YouTube channel with the sort of crystal-clear chutzpah which has made the studio version superfluous.

Bonus bloggin': what better time than now for an official Martorialist top ten favourite Rap songs produced by DJ Fresh list? One song per rapper so everybody gets their chance to shine.

Beeda Weeda - Bass Rock Babies (O.G mix) (2010)
Keak Da Sneak - Maxi Pads (2010)
Ezale - We Want Some Pussy (2016)
D-Lo - It Won't Be Long (2009)
Nef The Pharaoh - Giggerz (2021)
J.Stalin - Cocaine Cowboys (2008)
Shady Nate - Bottom Of My Bottle (2009)
Mozzy - Wet Woozy Wop Em and Wolly (2013)
Mistah F.A.B - Summertime In My City (2006)
The Jacka ft. Bo Strangles - Boomin' System (2012)

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. Plus, that Michael Prince bloke who played violin on here put an Ultramagnetic elbow into this shit and took the song to a next plateau.

Pump Up The Effort

"Ain't never leechin' off a n*gga, that's a fact
I ain't tryna argue witcha, Ima pop up where you at"

Gwala - Say Please
(From YouTube; 2024)


Here's an example of an aiiight song which could have been an anthem with a bit more effort. Ol' girl nearly caught the holy ghost of Jimmy Wopo's Elm Street, but couldn't be arsed coming up with a chorus and ended up with a Walkin' Bomb Part 2-lite instead. That's one of the biggest problems with Rap music nowadays - folks don't even try to make capital A-side Anthems. I want blood, sweat and tears put into song-craft. I want brains, ectoplasm and cum spilled all into anthem-making. Harrylujah!

Speaking of Jimmy Wopo, I've come to luh Elm Street 2 as much as the original. Granted, it took me a while to appreciate part 2 as its own entity, but it's become a Martorialist canon choon. Now THAT'S a capital A-side Anthem where its creator put his entire mind, body, soul and bad jujuplasm into the song and video. Wopolujah!

Shhniz Khalifa

Tony Shhnow - Sometimes
(From Kill Streak 2 album; 2021/YouTube: 2022)


**M&S advert voice** This is not just my favourite Tony Shhnow song since F*ckwitcha, this is my favourite Tony Shhnow song since F*ckwitcha that's also the best Wiz Khalifa song since Smoke Chambers.

Wiz Khalifa - Smoke Chambers
(From Taylor Gang 2 mixtape; 2015)

Wiz Khalifa · Smoke Chambers

Wiz Khalifa made a Mac DeMarco sample sound fly and was listening to Max B when people thought Saigon was gonna save New York. Ya favourite rapper could never.

Mostly Tha Voice: The Next Level

"I guess we had the right song with the wrong key
Why every time I try to tell you go that you don't leave?
I guess we had the right coat with the wrong sleeves
Even though this shit comin' out my throat It's beeeeyond meeeee"

Reese Youngn - Warrior
(From Warrior single; 2021)


Damn - that lad who went viral for soundin' like Rich Homie Quan gargling with magma on his No More Parties In L.A remix is actually kinda sick huh? Give Warrior to anyone else and it'd be some standard MOR Spotify-core; give it to Reese Youngn to howl fire & brimstone into it and Warrior becomes the molten sound at the core of a man's soul (or sumfink lol.) Basically, it's mostly tha voice which makes this one hit different.

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.