The TDE/Black Hippy camp is my new favorite L.A. steez to stay checking for since OFWGKTA is about to get trended to death by blogs to a point that will cause the kids to quit rap. TDE, on the other hand, is classic Compton rawness, but this generation is pushing an awareness of its vicious cycle.
Guru will forever be quoted as the person who brought it to our attention that it's mostly the voice that captures our ears. Jay Rock built his career on this notion, as his gruff baritone has listeners captivated with his Watts-raised street raps. He came up quick and is already celebrating his status with “So On”.
As triumphant as “So On” sounds, Jay Rock is not writing it from atop a Hollywood Hill penthouse porch overlooking his former neighborhood. The track has him celebrating his current lifestyle, still valuing the simple pleasures, as he raps that all he needs is, “a cold bitch, chronic and my seat reclined”.
Crew mate Ab-Soul is less about the voice, more about the vibe of his tracks. The soul-glorious production has a grip on his style as he ad-libs his way through “All Feelin'” and with little regard for structure regains his footing for a few bars about his movie-like life. His sentiments are counter to the sample's refrain of strutting happy feelings, as he's struggles for that silver lining. For Ab-Soul if it's not one thing, it's another as he raps, “I came up on Power Rangers and oatmeal / then it was BET and Internet / then it was white Adidas and cigarettes / then it was Black n' Milds and blasphemy / then it was weed and women's physical anatomy.”
