Tag: trap

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QUICKSPINS: Future & Metro Boomin — WE DON’T TRUST YOU

Album cover of 'WE DON'T TRUST YOU' by Future & Metro Boomin. Courtesy of Apple Music.

The trap titans reunite for a joint album that highlights their best strengths.

Future and Metro Boomin are synonymous by this point. The rapper is the voice behind Boomin’s iconic producer tag “If Young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you,” and the pair have been working together for over a decade. From DS2 to the Drake-assisted What a Time to Be Alive mixtape, and viral hits like “Superhero” and “Mask Off,” the pair have cemented themselves as a dynamic hitmaking duo in hip-hop. WE DON’T TRUST YOU doubles down on their usual chemistry, delivering a 16-track offering of sinister, icy trap bangers.

Boomin’s signature production style is fully on display right off the bat. The horns on the title track are understated yet triumphant, the bells are ominous, and the producer’s knack for creating atmosphere truly shines. This is equally the case on other tracks: “Claustrophobic” and “Ain’t No Love” notably shine due to their inclusion of strings, creating an orchestral feel. Boomin’s signature bells appear all over the album (”Ice Attack,” “Cinderella” and “Magic Don Juan”), setting the nocturnal backdrop that defines his production style. 

The St. Louis native’s beat palette on the album highlights the signature sound he’s carved for himself, one that is versatile. Some of the catchiest beats on the album have a retro feel, whether it’s the late ‘80s hip-hop samples on “Like That” or the open hats on “Fried (She a Vibe)” that call back to classic 2000s trap music. Boomin further elevates his production through collaboration: producer Mike Dean’s synth passages on “Young Metro” close out the track on a cinematic note. Producer Zaytoven’s contributions to “Ain’t No Love” include his signature flutes and varied percussive sounds, all of which make the instrumental even more animated.

Future is fully locked in throughout the project, meeting Metro Boomin right in the middle to create addictive hits. His flow is sticky, his hooks are catchy and the majority of tracks aim for the sweet-spot runtime of three minutes, never overstaying their welcome. His lyrical focus mostly relies on braggadocio, but there are moments of clarity. He takes aim at a friend turned foe on the intro track, and “Runnin Outta Time” is about feeling paranoia and distrust in those around you. No matter the beat, he sounds laser-focused and fits the production like a glove.

Several artists also lend their talents to the project. The Weeknd appears on “Young Metro,” laying a soft and understated hook that perfectly works as entrancing background vocals. Travis Scott’s feature on “Cinderella” perfectly suits the track’s psychedelic, woozy atmosphere and his auto-crooning effectively serves as a segue on “Type Shit.” The latter also features Playboi Carti, who comes through delivering a full-length verse in his recent, signature deep voice cadence. Kendrick Lamar is the true show stealer on the album, with a fiery verse on “Like That” taking aim at Drake and J. Cole. He disclaims the idea of the “Big 3,” claiming “it’s just big me” and reigniting hip-hop’s competitive flame. Rick Ross is another perfect fit, dropping opulent raps over an elegant soul sample-based beat on “Everyday Hustle.”

In addition to Boomin’s cohesive sound, the project is driven by a series of quotes from late Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy. His voice bookends various tracks with quotes that are cocky yet assertive: they are metaphors for the rapper-producer duo’s excellence, a reaffirmation of where they stand alongside their peers—above them, amongst the greatest to ever do it.

WE DON’T TRUST YOU is the latest reminder as to why Future and Metro Boomin are so often revered as a duo: where Future’s flow hits, the production hits just as hard. With another album set for April 12, this album proves that the pair can effortlessly impress once again.

7.5/10

Trial Track: “Like That (feat. Kendrick Lamar)”

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OFFISLAND is turning his career on

Meet the 19-year-old producer turned singer with his upcoming debut project, zero.five

Sometimes you need to turn the focus on your own craft and see it through. Coming off his debut project, zero.five, 19-year-old Alex Mavroudis flipped the switch from producer to artist under the moniker OFFISLAND.

What started for Mavroudis at age 12 with Minecraft dubstep remixes on free softwares eventually grew into a curiosity for music making. When it came time for post-secondary, he attended Recording Arts Canada in Montreal to take up audio engineering and music production.

“I picked up mixing and producing because I wanted to make my own stuff,” said Mavroudis.

He asserts that his education in mixing gives him an edge as a recording artist, saying, “If you learn an instrument or a sound you don’t have to rely on a producer.”

With formal education finished, Mavroudis got to work in the Montreal scene, getting in the studio with artists like 3MFrench, nayil, and YNG Travs.

“I admire the people I’ve worked with a lot, these guys are all great and on their way up,” he said.

Having worked primarily in the Montreal trap scene, Mavroudis opted for a different direction on his debut project, zero.five, slated for independent release in February. With a trio of tracks varying from indie rock to psychedelic synth-pop, the variety is there, though it’s not something to hold against him.

“It’s not the first fully defining sound I am going to release,” he explained. “I would describe it as fluid and spacey.”

Through his three-song tracklist of “Burn Down The Bar,” “Cynical,” and “No Make Up,” Mavroudis wrote, recorded and mixed everything except the bass on “Cynical,” done with help of bassist Ilia Galanakis. There is room for comparison between the Mac DeMarco-esque “No Make Up.” He admitted he “Took heavy inspiration from ‘Chamber of Reflection.’ He’s a one man show but he’s insane at bringing a track to life — someone I look up to as a singer, artist, and producer.”

Even with a short tracklist of three songs, Mavroudis’ inspirations are still at the forefront of his creation. For “Burn Down The Bar,” he wrote the song based on a photo of his parents’ old car, the same photo used in the album artwork.

“I wanted to take the feeling I got from that photo and put it in the song,” he said. While the song is close to home, it’s a double-edged sword for the musician, adding, “I saw two young people partying having the time of their lives and I wanted to capture that, but it’s sad also because time catches up to you.”

When it comes to the future, Mavroudis’ plans are ineffable. 

“It’s hard to explain what your vision is sometimes, with words,” he said. Without a set plan in mind, the artist is taking things as they come while navigating new sounds, saying, “I don’t think that far ahead, especially when it comes to making music. The next thing could be completely different.”

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Gucci Mane – Woptober II

Gucci Mane - Woptober II

The trap pioneer’s 15th studio album probably sounds as you’d expect it to

Gucci Mane, veteran Atlanta rapper and the new face of fashion luxury brand Gucci, released his 15th studio album as the second edition of his Woptober series. The album features a variety of features including young up-and-comers DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and 66.6 per cent of Migos.

The rate at which Gucci releases new music is impressive to say the least, but this may take away from any of these records having any more longevity than the next. His clever bars and familiar flow are always welcomed, but Woptober II, like many of its predecessors, has little lasting power compared to some of the classics that Gucci released earlier in his career. The tracks with features always sound like a fun collaboration among friends, or between rookie and vet, while Gucci’s solo songs typically offer more introspection into the mind of a trapstar criminal turned multi-millionaire businessman.

6/10

Trial Track: “Big Boy Diamonds” ft. Kodak Black

Star Bar:
“I’m not talkin’ the Weeknd, but I’m talking ‘bout Abel / You see this shit that Cain did, and they weren’t even strangers” – Gucci Mane on “Highly Recommended”

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Music

XO takes 88 to MTL

88Camino raps to a sold out crowd at Le National. Photo by Jacob Carey

88GLAM flexes their strengths to a packed crowd at Le National

Derek Wise and 88Camino, better known among attendees as hip hop duo 88GLAM, hit the stage of Le National last Sunday to a full house of screams and applause. Decked in black from head to toe, rocking a Chrome Hearts tee and Montreal-based Malice World cap, the Toronto natives felt at home as they performed their newest tracks to a familiar crowd.

The rap collaborative gained traction after the release of their first eponymous mixtape in 2017, which starred their breakout hit “Bali” featuring Nav. Months later, their mixtape was re-released with four additional songs, along with the news that they had been signed to The Weeknd’s record label, XO. The duo have since released their second project, 88GLAM2, and are nearing the end of their tour with the same name.

Derek Wise pays homage to his record label by throwing up his XO. Photo by Jacob Carey

Following two opening sets by local Montreal rappers Hardbody Jones and Mike Shabb, the Glam boys hit the stage with their lead single, “Lil Boat,” that most recently peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. 88Camino was first on the mic as he began to rap the chorus. The artist’s soft, auto-tuned, sing-song voice is complemented nicely by Wise’s deeper, darker verses. This applies not only to “Lil Boat” specifically, but to the duo’s sound as a whole—which is the core of their catchy and melodic tunes.

On stage, Wise and Camino frequently rotated between songs featured on their first mixtape and their latest one. Older fans sang along to tracks such as “Kyrie” and “Big Tymers,” while “Wet Dreams” and “It’s a Flex” were sung by those in attendance that may have witnessed 88GLAM at Le National for the first time, despite them having frequented Montreal three times in the past year. “It’s a Flex,” another single featuring Nav, recently debuted a music video that led to the Weeknd posting a screenshot of the trio on Instagram and referring to them as “the future of the city.”

Derek Wise going in. Photo by Jacob Carey

As is expected, a mosh pit was requested of the crowd half-way into the show. The performers waited on stage while the crowd opened up a pit that they would soon rush into. Having practiced their moshing skills hours before during Hardbody Jones’s set, the mob of eager, sweaty bodies readied up with a perfectly shaped circle. As the opening notes to “GPS” started playing, the crowd waited for the beat to drop and then unleashed their friendly fury. The performers were pleased with what they started.

At one moment during the night, 88Camino whipped out his phone to take a video of a fan on someone’s shoulders as she lifted up her shirt to show the “XO” tattoo on her ribs.

As their set neared its end, Wise and some affiliates picked up a 24-case of water bottles tucked away behind a curtain to the left of the stage. They began to distribute them to the crowd. They requested that the water bottles not be used until the next song had begun. Then, Wise rapped the familiar words, “Time to turn the heat up like it’s Bali.” Within seconds, more mosh pits broke out, more screams were heard and more energy vibrated the building than any time before. And water. Lots of water. By the time 88Camino’s chorus had begun, the stage, the artists and the crowd were drenched in water. As they wiped a mix of sweat and water from their foreheads, Derek Wise and 88Camino walked off stage with smiles on their faces, knowing that 88GLAM had once again turned up the heat in Montreal.

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Music

Jazz Cartier wows crowd through the flu

Cartier going hard. Photo by Chris Carpenter. @cb43media

Toronto rapper performs upon the release of four new songs.

Jazz Cartier is one of Toronto’s biggest names in hip hop, but on the fourth stop of his Fleurever Yours tour at Le Belmont on Nov. 8, it felt as though there were no barriers between the crowd and the rising star.

Cartier’s latest show marked his fourth time performing in the city. Cartier, also known as Jacuzzi LaFleur, was on Post Malone’s tour when he passed through the city back in 2016. He also had a show with J. Cole signee J.I.D. at Le Belmont in June 2017.

Cartier’s last show in Montreal was that same month, as part of Fool’s Gold DAY OFF, a one-day festival put on by A-Trak’s Brooklyn label. That day, Cartier shared the stage with Speng Squire for the first time, a Montreal rapper who opened for him this past Thursday.

Speng has been making noise in the city’s hip hop scene for some years now. The 23-year-old rapper has a wide array of remixes and original tracks, posted on his YouTube channel, where he’s garnered thousands of views. Earlier this year, he released his debut album, Expressions of Now, gaining recognition from media outlets such as Complex and the Montreal Gazette.

Speng brought out TGEMarx, a member of up-and-coming Montreal hip hop collective The Grey Era as a guest on his set. They performed the unreleased track “My Dreams,” a collaboration between the two LaSalle natives.

“I mess with [TGEMarx’s] energy,” said Speng. “You can tell a lot by the energy you feel from someone. They don’t even need to say anything, you just feel it.”

As the opening act came to a close, the crowd slowly grew. The tight quarters of the venue began to feel increasingly cramped.

The intermission couldn’t have been more than half an hour, though it felt like more, thanks to the growing blend of anticipation and excitement that filled the air. While the show was originally planned to be held at MTELUS, a last minute switch to Le Belmont provided a more intimate night.

Finally, Cartier came on stage and the crowd erupted. Those furthest from the stage couldn’t have been more than 40 feet away from him, close proximity considering the level of fame Cartier boasts.

After performing a few of the most popular songs from his first mixtape, Marauding in Paradise, Cartier removed his sunglasses and took a moment in between tracks to address his “flowers,” the name he gave to his fan base some years ago—all members of a community of supports, which he calls “Petal Garden.”

“I got the flu and I haven’t been feeling the best, but there was no way I would cancel on you guys,” Cartier said. “I had to come perform tonight.”

The 200-something person crowd immediately erupted in cheers—Cartier’s determination filled them with excitement.

After performing some of his most popular tracks, including “Godflower,” “Tempted” and “Right Now,” accompanied by colourful anime-style graphics on a screen behind the DJ booth and dim, basement party-vibe lighting, an unfamiliar song began to play. For the first time of the night, no one sang along with Cartier’s melodic, slightly auto-tuned vocals. Then, the music stopped.

“No one knew this, but I’m actually dropping four new songs tonight,” Cartier said. “Here’s one of them.”

The crowd erupted in cheers as he performed “Cuzzi Relax,” one of the four new songs which formed the deluxe version of his album, Fleurever. The attendees swung their heads and hands as if he was performing one of their favourite songs.

Cartier’s set time came to the 60-minute mark, and shouts of “another one” were heard throughout the crowd as they began to anticipate the show’s end. Cartier, sensing the sudden dispiritedness, addressed the crowd.

“I love this city, man. I’m reppin’ Toronto, you’re reppin’, Montreal but we’re all from Canada. We’re all a family, fleurever,” he said.

As the crowd hollered in loving approval, Cartier’s DJ began playing his song “Dead or Alive,” a fan-favourite for its catchy, menacing chorus and organ-heavy beat. The crowd rapped along, word for word, jumping to the beat in sync with Cartier.

The show came to an end and distinct looks of approval were visible all around. Before stepping off the stage, Cartier had his own way of showing love for the night.

“Before I leave, I want to take a picture with every single one of you in this crowd,” Cartier said. “Thank you guys so much, for everything.”

Cartier jumped down from the stage and walked through the crowd with security, stopping to shake hands with anyone who sought his. He walked into the next room and took a seat as a line formed at the door.

LaFleur awaited his garden.

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Metro Boomin – NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES

After a month of silence, Metro Boomin tweeted “METRO BOOMIN PRESENTS: NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES.” Less than 48 hours later, the album popped up on streaming platforms everywhere.

Metro Boomin has made it clear that he is here to stay after announcing his retirement in April. In his first release of the year, Metro grabs the likes of Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Young Thug and many more of rap’s top talent to collaborate on a trap album with enough features to satisfy any hip hop head. Gucci Mane’s intro blends flawlessly into Scott’s  Astroworld–esque track “Overdue,” yet this smooth transitioning can be heard between every song on the album. Gunna and Swae Lee’s singing voices provide appreciated downtime from heavy trap verses by the album’s more aggressive rappers. And of course, an essential Drake feature to send us off.

Rating: 8/10

Trial Track: Space Cadet (feat. Gunna)

Star Bar: “At 17, I wanted everything that was in store. At 23, I bought it all just to make sure.” – Drake on “No Complaints (feat. Drake & Offset)”

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