Lil Baby – “In A Minute”
Lil Baby follows up his epic 2020 album, My Turn, with the impressive 23-track It’s Only Me, with features from Nardo Wick, Young Thug, Fridayy, Future, Rylo Rodriguez, Jeremih, EST Gee, and Pooh Shiesty. Not one to use too many samples, the Quality Control Music artist chose to sample hip hop’s elite on “In A Minute,” using the slow-tempo, melodic, and airy “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2” from Aubrey “Drake” Graham’s 2013 classic entry, Nothing Was the Same.
The original track featured Jay-Z over a sample that borrowed from Herbie Hancock’s 1973 Jazz single, “Watermelon Man,” from his EP Head Hunters, and the intro to Ellie Goulding’s song, “Don’t Say A Word,” from the 2013 UK album, Halcyon Days. Other references on the Drake version are attributed to Wu-Tang Clan, Isaac Hayes, Matthew Burnett, and Boi-1da, to name a few.
“In A Minute” is produced by Kaigoinkrazy, who has worked with Rod Wave and Rylo Rodriguez, and Haze, known for his work with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Nas, and Polo G. It’s Only Me is available across music streaming platforms now.
“I’m the boss, pay all the bills, I’m the golden child for real / Go off in this bitch, I will, I been on my grind for years / And I’m out here grinding still, I need equity to sign the deal…”
-Lil Baby, It’s Only Me, “In A Minute”
G Herbo – “Flashbacks”
G Herbo’s latest effort is a solid entry in the realm of hip hop circulating right now. Survivor’s Remorse: A Side & B Side is a straight-from-the-source dose of the rapper’s mindset and everyday experiences. One standout track is the Jeremih collaboration, “Flashbacks,” a riveting song in which G Herbo reminisces about his rise to wealth and the price of fame.
Produced by Go Grizzly, Hollywood Cole, Supah Mario, and Landstrip Chip, “Flashbacks” samples the infamous mega-hit “Flashing Lights” by Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Ye and Eric Hudson produced the leading single for Ye’s classic 2007 album Graduation. The G Herbo’s version also samples “Gramma Honey,” an original song on the 2016 indie album, The Visitor, by Kadhja Bonet.
Survivor’s Remorse: A Side & B Side can be listened to now on various music streaming platforms.
“Got to count my blessings, I can’t let no mess in / Right now, I got to fall back until I’m at my best again / Ain’t got nothing to do with ——-, I’m tucked off at the Westin…”
-G Herbo, Survivor’s Remorse, “Flashbacks”
Tee Grizzley – “Jay & Twan 2”
Tee Grizzley’s Chapter of the Trenches celebrates the storytelling aesthetic of hip hop culture, painting vivid pictures of hood life in ongoing sagas that tap on a variety of topics. For instance, the “Robbery” saga continues the narrative about guns and licks, while “Ms. Evans” tells the eyebrow-raising story of an inappropriate teacher-student relationship. All cautionary in nature, Tee Grizzley sways away from music that glamorizes a personal war with opps to reality music that provides a more well-rounded, macrovision of causes and effects.
On the track “Jay & Twan 2,” produced by Helluva Beats, Tee Grizzley samples Rick Ross’ “Aston Martin Music.” Released in 2010 on the album, Teflon Don, Rick Ross’ version featured singer Chrisette Michele and Drake. The single was produced by Rook and Colione of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and ironically, sampled Drake’s “Paris Morton Music,” a sample choice shared by Lil Baby.
In addition to using the beat, Tee Grizzley also interpolates the chorus of “Aston Martin Music” with renewed lyrics in the same cadence and tone. In Grizzley’s version, he raps about two friends turned rivals in a hood tale that can easily translate into a cinematic experience, and has been via a series of music videos dropped by Grizzley shortly after the albums release on Oct. 14.
Chapter of the Trenches is available on all music streamers.
“I come from the way where you don’t live long / Can’t nobody save you, they gon’ do you wrong…”
-Tee Grizzley, Chapters of the Trenches, “Jay & Twan 2”
