With All Due RESPECT.: 5 Songs You’ve Been Sleeping On (2/27)

We’re only two months in, and 2017 has already been one wild ride. After falling in love with Migos and their impressive album Culture, America unfairly cooled off on the trio due to some not so PC comments. We saw The Weeknd start dating Selena Gomez and Ether Justin Bieber. More recently, we were all witnesses to Remy Ma putting Nicki Minaj on life support, and well Donald Trump is exactly who we thought he was — which is a scary thought. Still, the music has been amazing so far. The aforementioned Migos project made me consider ditching the fries with my 2 piece chicken wing dish. Future is on his way to becoming the first ARTIST. EVER. to have two different number one albums on the Billboard 200 in consecutive weeks. Mix those in with solid projects from artists like Taylor Bennett, SiR, Big Sean and Syd and you’ve got a solid year. But in reality, does all of that really matter when Jay-Z and Beyonce dropped a catchy, yet FIRE new single where Jigga comes for Drake? I’ll let you answer that question. But in the mean time check out these 5 hot songs that I’m sure you’ve been snoozing on.

KiariTheStone – “Smile”

Las Vegas native KiariTheStone has been making waves lately. After releasing a string of solid singles, and headlining a show on the Vegas Strip, the Sin City product trades in the gun talk for a little bit of self evaluation on the smooth track, “Smile“. Produced by Ish Him$elf along with live trumpet assistance from Fendi $ean, Kiari takes on the topic of addiction. “I’m such a stoner, I can’t quit smoking/ but I don’t wanna/ but I couldn’t even if I wanted,” raps Stone over the smooth horns from $ean. They say the first step to kicking an addiction is admittance. In other words, coming clean about your problem is the key to unlocking the journey to rehabilitation. That’s all good and what not, but what if quitting isn’t in the plans? What if what one person perceives to be a weakness is something that you view as a strength? You’re either shockingly self aware, or incredibly naive in that situation; only time will tell. Check out the track below.

Tommy Paris – “Boys Who”

When you think of the Bay Area, and Nor Cal in general, what are some of the first cities to come to mind? Oakland? San Francisco? Hell, you might even throw Modesto in there just to pay homage to an underrated Ice Cube movie — don’t argue with me. One place that might not rush to mind is Salinas, California. Salinas native Tommy Paris looks to change that and he might be on his way to doing that with the banging single, “Boys Who“. Produced by buzzing beat maker Foe 5, “Boys Who” sounds like an ode to Travis Scott made in the year 2034. Paris laces the futuristic Foe 5 instrumental with an infectious flow dripped in creative wordplay. “I ain’t bilingual/ but I speak euros, that yen and that peso,” raps the Nor Cal native in a blistering opening verse. Check out, “Boys Who” below and be sure to keep an eye on Tommy Paris.

Jimi Tents – “Should’ve Called Pt. 2 (Feat. saidbysed)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again until every single one of you open your stubborn ears: Jimi Tents has next. After a relatively quiet 2016 release wise — I say “release” because the man opened for Justin Bieber and ripped a mini-tour with Amir Obe and Eli Sostre — the Brooklyn boy releases “Should’ve Called Pt. 2”, a follow up to the fan favorite from his 2015 debut project, 5 O’Clock Shadow. Utilizing a contagious hook from Sleepercamp counterpart saidbysed, Tents fills the beat like a perfectly fit glove. The most impressive part about Tents’ flow is his ability to seamlessly switch from rapping completely on beat to melody driven vocals on the drop of a dime, all while staying in pocket with each bar, leaving no drum kick untouched. Check out the track below and get familiar with Tents and his 2015 debut.

YL. – “Dwele Song (Feat. Mello)”

When it comes to love songs, Dwele is one of the greatest. I mean, the man made a song where he completely fools you into thinking he’s cheating on his girl while the whole time it’s just her freak-in-the-sheets alter ego — no seriously, look. So to title your track, “Dwele Song” takes a certain confidence in knowing that your sh*t is just that nice. Luckily for us, rhymespitter YL. not only has the confidence, but the ability to back it up. The homegrown New Yorker takes on the topic of break up to make up in this tale of infidelity and remorse over the smooth Roper Williams beat. You can almost visualize the distressing remorse on Y’s face as he raps, “They say it never really hurts like your first one/ I did some did some dirt but, for what it’s worth/ I still have the picture of you pulling up your skirt/ and mental image with you naked on my shirt.” The track comes off of the wildly impressive new project from YL., which showcases a rapper ready to take New York over. Check out the track below, and the tape here. Don’t sleep on the Big Apple product, join the bandwagon now.

J.I.D. – “Never”

The music industry is a strange place. It’s a tough business that prides itself on it’s unpredictability and it’s chameleon like ability to always reinvent itself. Stars are made overnight and a lot of times come completely out of nowhere. But sometimes, just sometimes, you can see the writing on the wall. With Dreamville’s newest signee, J.I.D., the wall is completely vandalized. Though his ferocious single, “Never” is under 300K plays though being released a year ago, the Atlanta native is poised to make a huge splash on the rap game. “Never” starts off as a smooth, banging track that sees J.I.D. looking back on his shortcoming growing up; using a choppy on point cadence. At around the two-minute mark, the tranquil instrumental transitions to a searing, breakneck pace that allows J.I.D. to get all the way loose. “Okay, what you call a girl who don’t suck d*ck? You don’t,” raps the Southern native as he kicks off the second half of the track. If you listen closely, you can already hearing J. Cole lacing the first half with a self reflecting 32 about being biracial… No? Okay. Check out, “Never” below and see why J.I.D. was Dreamville’s first Atlanta signee.

There you have it! Let us know how we did, did we get it right? Are we still sleeping on your favorite local artist? Let us know in the comment section below!

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