NEW RELEASES
Playboi Carti is an odd guy. He's gone through several aesthetic changes, and he has changed his voice more times than most rappers physically could. The oddities are part of the appeal, though. Carti has not lost sight of this, as evidenced by the surprise music video for his new single, "FOMDJ." The rapper has fully emerged from the shadows and secrecy that defined the last few years, and it seems like he's on a celebratory streak. "FOMDJ" is cool in a distinctly Playboi Carti manner, which makes it one of the most entertaining videos he's dropped in a long time.
Playboi Carti spends a good chunk of the video riding around in an SUV. He dangles out of the side, like so many other rappers (Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino) who love The Dark Knight, and then he posts up on top of it. It's fun to watch Carti flow while sitting atop a car in motion. The empty nighttime streets also play perfectly into the wonky, nocturnal vibe of the song. "Crash out for the gang, hol' up, crash out for a mixtape. Have you f*ck on my peers, I'ma hit all the gears," Carti raps. "Have you switchin' your lips, yeah, she got all the skills. And I'm still on the hill, yeah, I'm still in the Hills."
The cool aesthetic switches up toward the second half of "FOMDJ." Playboi Carti takes control of a video recorder, adding a neon-drenched, lo-fi vibe to the second verse. We also get treated to the location the SUV was headed, which appears to be a bedroom/bar bathroom. Take a look for yourself, that's as good a description as we can come up with. The rapper posts up with two women, alternating between filming them and smoking with them. He's also getting a tattoo near his temple at one point. It doesn't follow a clear logical narrative, but who cares? Looks cool.
It was unclear whether Playboi Carti would be able to emerge from his years long hiatus and be able to maintain fan interest. He's managed to become even more popular. The cult following has blossomed into a commercial following, and the Die Lit star has now become a bona fide superstar. He is breaking records every other day, and seemingly picking fights with other rappers in between. This is Carti world and we are just living in it.
NEW RELEASES
Kevin Abstract, like his stage name suggests, is back with another creative record. "GEEZER" is the name, and it sports a feature from singer, rapper, and actor, Dominic Fike. This now makes this their second ever collaboration, with the first being 2019's "Peach" from Kevin's ARIZONA BABY.
This track is also kind of special as it serves as the lead single for the former BROCKHAMPTON member's next solo LP, Blush. Per Hypebeast, fans should expect it to drop on June 27. Per Genius, its shaping up to be a stacked project too with potential features from JPEGMAFIA, The Kid LAROI, Danny Brown, Quadeca, and more.
Of course, this will be Kevin Abstract's fourth solo LP with American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, ARIZONA BABY, and 2023's Blanket being the predecessors.
On "GEEZER," him and Fike have some great chemistry over this indie instrumental, which shouldn't be a surprise. The duo has some great humor about them too. They cheekily rap about being afraid of not chasing their dreams.
The parent element goes a long way in urging listeners to not feel like you are bound to one path in life. "I said, "Damn, back then you used to be my right hand" / What happened? / She said, "Dad, you got old and then you ruined my plans," Fike raps.
Check out the track below.
Quotable Lyrics:
She ain't get accepted where the teacher recommended (Uh-oh)
She still makin' coffee at the age of thirty-seven (Uh-oh)
I know it's a small town, but the mall now looks small now
I guess the lesson is never let your guard down
Banks put up the buildings and your parents build the fences
Please don't stay behind them in your mid-twenties
