Releases from J.Savage, Y1, Snook Da Crook, and John Wells
“Listen. I need all my big bitches to the front / Thick thighs save lives / Slim bitches get ate like a thin mint” J.Savage declares at the start of the new club banger “BIG GIRL.” Produced by WishGRANTed and penned by Baltimore heavyweight rapper IconthaGod, this one is a fun nod to the classic Baltimore club songs “Watch Out for the Big Girl” by the late legendary Jimmy Jones, and Rod Lee’s “Big Girl.”
“J.Savage! I see it, I need it, I want it, I grab it” Savage raps.
The energetic track fits perfectly on any high-energy playlist. The Baltimore influence is undeniable, and the video directed by Maggie Rudisill is also a great time.
Stream “BIG GIRL” on all streaming platforms.
Y1 — “Tew Long”
Baltimore rapper Y1 comes through with “Tew Long.” His new single is a blazing verbal tsunami releasing the frustration of a rapper with many years in the game. Recruiting Thailand’s Ecoondatrack on production, its haunting background vocals and tempo move syncopated with Y1’s words, like something from a “Fast and Furious” soundtrack.
“I been down for too long / Runnin’ through the city with the stick you would think that I’m Wukong / Ugh. Type of shit you on? / It’s all gravy ‘til they leak out ya egg have you lookin’ like foo yung” he raps on the hook.
“Tew Long” the new music video is scheduled to drop on October 8. It’s directed by himself and Jay Royale, shot by John Hudson III aka Mastermind and Zohra Gaba, with some visuals captured on Meta AI glasses.
This is his first single from the upcoming EP “The 4 Warning.” The EP will come with an actual CD that you can also scan and get all the tracks downloaded to your phone.
Be on the lookout and stream “Tew Long” on all platforms.
Snook Da Crook — “Sounds Like Home”
One half of the legendary West Baltimore hip-hop duo Dirt Platoon, Snook Da Crook dropped an ode to his hometown. “Sounds Like Home,” produced by veteran producer Jay Funk, is a smooth, laid-back, piano-lead track that lays a clean backdrop for Snook to detail his extensive experience as a homegrown Baltimorean.
“Northeast Market, chicken wings from Tyrone’s / Mondawmin Mall, the Inner Harbor in the fall / Was always a star just didn’t know it / Back when my big sister was a Dunbar Poet / We listened to Frank Ski on V-103 / I know a side of my city that y’all get to see.”
The nostalgia on this track is not for new residents of Baltimore, unless they want to do their research to see what really makes Baltimore special historically. Only natives may really know what he speaks about on this one, and it’s refreshing to hear at a time when a lot of eyes are on Baltimore but many seem to be more interested in making newcomers comfortable by doing away with culture and traditional Blackness. Of course, we’ll never let that fully happen.
At around 1:16, Snook starts to introduce voices from the city talking about what they love about it. A very smooth offering from Snook’s upcoming solo album, “410 Til I Go,” fully produced by Jay Funk and expected to drop in November.
Stream “Sounds Like Home” on all streaming platforms.
John Wells — “I don’t wanna die (Pt.1)”
In the previous installment of Best Beats, I wrote about John Wells’ “I’ve been skipping therapy,” the first single from his new EP, “I don’t wanna die (Pt. 1).”
The seven-song project is his first offering for his new deal with Fat Beats, and it’s a refreshing journey through real-life situations over excellent beat selections. I think most of us can relate, especially now, to music that is getting back to the foundation of hip-hop’s legacy of storytelling and providing voices for the everyday working person. Opening with the words “Loving me is complicated” on the first track, “I gotta slow down,” it’s clear that the EP is well thought-out, as each track exists as a supporting topic under the subject of not wanting to die in spite of all that you’ve been through. The pursuit of success comes with its bumps and bruises but the payoff is priceless.
When I spoke to Wells, he told me about his learning process as a rising artist, going viral for the first time, grieving his father’s death and still pushing his pen. It all brought him to settling on the title “I don’t wanna die” for a two-project series.
“I want people to walk away with the understanding that everything is a process. What I’ve gone through the past few years, it’s been ups and downs and twists and turns and back up and back down but at the end of the day you just gotta stick to it,” he told Baltimore Beat over the phone.
“Sticking to it” is definitely on display here. Titles like “I cherish every moment”, “I accidentally let the devil in(terlude)” and “I never got real answers” come with relatable scenarios serving as somewhat of a guide on how to survive in these trying times, even if your survival tactics may not always be the healthiest of choices. On “I called your phone”, he raps “Drastic measures to ease my pain lately, I’m staining my lungs, to cope with damage I’ve inflicted as this thing I’ve become, running rampant hell in lives of people that I love”
It’s a great moment in Baltimore hip-hop to be tuned into the John Wells era. We’re looking forward to Part 2, and I hope you’re caught up by then.
Stream “I don’t wanna die (Pt. 1)” on all streaming platforms.