Soulja Boy - White Lights (SODMG, 2012)
easily the best Soulja Boy song in this young year (which has already seen two Soulja Boy tapes, no less). Clams Casino produced it, and Soulja rides the beat well. I hope this means that Clams and Soulja are about to start working together semi-reguarly again, but I’m not gonna hold my breath. For now, this is sufficient enough.
Riff Raff SODMG & Soulja Boy - Versace Bentley (SODMG, 2012)
To combat the rumors of Riff Raff’s SODMG allegiance being a hoax, it appears that Soulja Boy has finally decided to start recording with his most valuable asset. Versace Bentley is the first in the line of many songs scheduled to come about as a the result of this new union, and a joint album, Freestyle Heavyweights, is in the works. Maybe Soulja can help Riff Raff focus? That’s all that Riff is really missing right now.
Versace Bentley is obviously freestyle, but both sound good. Hearing Soulja’s quirky adlibs run over Riff Raff’s rap is a bit awkward, but entertaining enough. The minimal beat allows for Riff to flex heavily. Soulja is hot like Pensacola.
Lil B - Dopeman Hunter (Mixtape, 2011)
“shouts out to *FOGHORN*, I get digits”
wow, I guess those rumors of a B/Soulja Boy fallout were true. Probably my favorite B song of the year, from my favorite project he released.
Riff Raff - The Rice Emperor (YAYODANCING, 2011)
So, there’s no good Riff Raff mixtapes on the internet. I mean there is, but they’re on iTunes, and paying for all of them would cost most of us at least half of our paychecks. Riff Raff’s mixtapes are sporadic and inconsistent to say the least, which is why all of the videos he’s done within the past few months have been songs from various stages in his career. I decided to do everyone a solid, as someone who actually purchased most of Riff Raff’s music; I decided to make a Best Of-style mixtape thus far. What follows will be a very strange, very #obtuse journey into the mind of one crazy redneck. Tracklist is as follows:
1. Larry Bird
2. Juice
3. Jose Canseco (feat. Fat Pimp)
4. Graveyard Music (G5 Kid Murph)
5. Lil B (feat. G5 Kid Murph)
6. Certified Worldstar
7. I C U
8. I Shoulda Brought The Rice Out
9. Swamp (feat. TKO Capone)
10. Walter Payton
11. Apple Berry
12. Coogi (feat. TKO Capone)
13. Super Bowl Rings
14. Cold Cup
Soulja Boy - My City (SODMG, 2011)
The standout track from Dre’s recent 21 EP gets an accompanying music video. It takes place in Miami, which is most certainly not Soulja’s city, but I digress. Those rising synths are a staple of that region, at least. This is, once again, Soulja’s best attempt at creating a Dirty South version of Diddy-Dirty Money’s trademark sound from Last Train To Paris, and it’s a fantastic imitation. The video doesn’t feature nearly as much driving around as I pictured for it, but it does feature plenty of strippers, which is a first from what I recall for a Soulja video. Good to be 21, eh Dre?
On another note, Dre seems to be crediting himself as Lil’ Dre for this release. Make of that what you will, I know I’ll just choose to ignore it.
Soulja Boy - 21: EP (SODMG, 2011)
Soulja Boy’s second EP in the last few weeks dropped today, only a few days following Soulja Boy’s 21st birthday. It’s amazing to think that Soulja’s finally allowed to perform at clubs without an X written on his hand, and even more astounding that his music is just as juvenile and ignorant (in a good way) as it was when he was driving his first car. This is obviously a point of criticism for most, and I suppose it’s due, but the fact that Dre is still able to crank out so much finely-tuned pop rap at such an alarming rate still surprises me. On first listen, My City, which is essentially the follow up to Zan With That Lean Pt. II, is the highlight, a fluttering, auto-tuned adventure into the furthest of Soulja’s city with quiet storm elements. The banjo-sampling Country Boy is also worth noting. You can see tumble-weeds rolling when you listen to that shit.
Soulja Boy - Zan With That Lean (Remix) (SODMG, 2011)
Juice wasn’t a very good mixtape. As most of you who follow this blog know, I’m one of the most vocal defenders of Soulja Boy’s music. I have been for the past four years, and though he’s given me many opportunities to cringe at the choices he’s made, I’ve always stood by the kid’s art and supported it because I feel almost obligated to. It’s also because I see something in him that few others do (||). Yeah, he’s a biter, but his tastes in music are pretty profound and his ability to use Transform on most artists is usually super effective.
Zan With That Leanmade me want to give up. It was a terrible record; one of the most attrocious terds Soulja’s ever flushed down the pipeline. There was no defending that shit; a terrible attempt at capitalizing on Racks, the currently revamped codeine-trend, and the long-since-passed Futuristic scene. The rest of Juice, padded by guest features from FUR NAYME LAH NAYME and Soulja’s bodyguards, did nothing to reaffirm my faith in DeAndre.
So much so that I completely missed this record; this beautiful fucking track. The beat on this song is collosal, probably the most epic instrumental Soulja’s rapped over since I Love You Smoochy. Photos of Soulja Boy chilling with Free Bandz general Future emerged recently, and this remix is far more Future than YC. More so in scale than in raps; Future would still eat Soulja alive on this beat, and it’s a shame the last two minutes of this song weren’t filled with a verse from the Dirty Sprite drinker. But as far as creating a song that is almost completely designed to play loudly while doing a victory lap, like you just won a fucking Gold Medal or some shit, would fit in perfectly with Future’s Show Money or We Winnin’.
If you’re like me and no longer have Juice, you can find this ethereal piece of wonder on Soulja Boy’s new Bernard Arnault EP.
