DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEK: Drake ft. Lil Wayne, ASAP Rocky, Washed Out

Drake feat. Lil Wayne - Motto

Drake is like an incontinent octogenarian - leaking stuff all over the show. Here is yet another track from his very soon to be released album ‘Take Care’.  According to the track listing this is going to close out the album. Seems fitting to finish by pulling out the big guns in the form of the lil rapper Wayne.

There is no pissing around in this track. Straight to business from Drake. There are only tiny peeks of daylight between the vocals. Its all about the rap, only helped by a real simple bass driven loop. Lil Wayne and Drake are actually quite hard to tell apart here. They set up quite a tight partnership and really hammer the lyrics home without really having to add much force to their delivery. As the chorus goes ‘you only live once, that’s motto…’ so grab the latest and perhaps last freeby from Drake before he starts charging you for every single syllable.

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ASAP Rocky - Live.Love.ASAP Mixtape

It is hip hop déjà vu. Yes, last week there was a lean towards ASAP Rocky but there has to be this week too. I would be doing the masses a disservice to avoid this swag-fuelled demon.

In a world of copy-cats and middle-class rappers its kind of hard to get a bit of buzz going around a ‘real’ project. Rocky has got buzz dripping down from his chin. He has more blog action than the leaked nude photos of Kreayshawn. Some have been going as far to say that he is the messiah of New York hip hop, ready to roll the Big Apple back to the glory days. Harlem represent.

A few of the tracks have been reviewed in the past either in this article or on my blog so I’m not going to mess with that too much. Just download it, listen to it and get buzzed out on the downbeat, slurred, dope-as-fuck vocals. Chuck that flow in with heaps of warped beats from the likes of Clams Casino and you are beginning to create a whole new wave of hippity hop. It caught the attention of every single blog that knows what its talking about, and recently also caught the attention of Drake. Drizzy has got ASAP Rocky supporting him on tour soon. It also grabbed RCA Records by the bullocks because they have just spooned out a massive US$3 million deal to the Harlem swag-trotter.

I am pushing this to you with a tad of urgency because I am afraid it will not be there for all that long. RCA didn’t invest moolah into the ASAP mob as a charity subsidy. That, and Rocky is not short on confidence in his work. He believes his ‘mixtape is a classic. It’s only right to put it out at retail’. So, get in quick so that you don’t have to pay for it in the future.

The other reason you are getting a jab/cross of Rocky is that he is good. Like, real good. And original, but without being all that weird. I want you to be able to look that mate of yours in the eye and for them to be jealous of you. That mate who always beats you to the punch on what’s hot, they just seem to know before everyone else. Well, get in early this time and tell that know-it-all dickhead of a mate that you are boss. ASAP Rocky is your baby, so go release him to the world.

The only criticism to offer is purely a geeky one. The mastering on this mixtape is nonexistent. You are constantly twiddling your volume knob (not a metaphor) to be able to get the right levels as it goes from track to track. That, and perhaps the odd track gets a bit samey. He has a style that he sticks to, which is cool, but you may have to give it a few listens to find the subtleties that make each track stand out on their own.

ASAP Rocky got me through Halloween, Guy Fawkes and there is a good chance he will see me through to Christmas. Pagan, revolution, saviour – he really could be ticking all the boxes for every occasion. The future is here.

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Washed Out - Call It Off

Full of the lovely lo-fi drones, hazy drum beats and catchy arpeggios you have come to expect. It’s always so nice to take a peaceful trip back to the best of the 90s and 80s simultaneously when you listen to a Washed Out track. It is like he takes cheesy 80s synth pop and gives it a hipster haircut and suddenly its too cool to not be involved with.

Weird World Record company is his UK and Europe label (with Sub Pop being in charge of the US stuff) and they are dropping the 'Amor Fati' single. Well, when you have a single you got to have a B-side right? And this is that B-side. It really is a B-side to be honest. It’s nice, easy to chill to, easy to hear, but also easy to forget. No amazing pioneering sounds but still has that toe-tapping relaxing wave. There hasn’t really been anything new to get hold of since he released the album so it is quite exciting to finally have something extra under the Washed Out section on your iTunes.

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By Oli Holmes