For this edition, David and I decided to shift the spotlight to some of our favorite songs we believed deserved extra recognition. We personally curated our own playlist based on records that have been in our rotation recently. If you are interested in listening, feel free to add the playlist by visiting The Vanguard Instagram page!
Will: Baby Keem - “lost souls (Remix) [feat. Brent Faiyaz]”
Cosigned by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Travis Scott, it seems Keem’s breakout album The Melodic Blue broke the music industry itself. Considered the baby of the “baby’s” in rap now, Baby Keem elegantly slides over a melodic beat that I feel best captures his first studio album.
Will: Youngboy Never Again - “Still Waiting (Bonus)”
Real pain and emotion come through heavily on this track by NBA Youngboy, who recorded the song entirely over a jail phone as he awaited trial for weapons charges. A heavily-awaited snippet since it was first previewed, many diehard fans clamored for the song once known as “Jail Freestyle '' to be released until it officially landed on Youngboy’s album this year.
Will: Westside Gunn - “Forest Lawn (feat. 2 Chainz & Armani Caesar)”
Grime has never sounded better. Westside Gunn meets up with trap star 2 Chainz and Griselda favorite Armani Caesar for an instant head-bopping classic. Does a song full of “grah-tah-tah” and “do-do-do-do” ad-libs and vivid descriptions of death, violence, and cooking up drugs need a “Don’t Try This at Home” label nowadays?
Will: Lil Wayne & Rich the Kid - “Headlock”
It’s October and Lil Wayne and Rich the Kid’s collab album might have been my first jump scare of the spooky season. A string orchestra rises up from the 808s producing a track that sounds straight out of this year’s Michael Myers’ Halloween Kills. Were the two influenced by Playboi Carti? They may never admit it but “King Vamp” sounds eerily similar to this track.
Will: Tame Impala - “Breathe Deeper (Lil Yachty Remix)”
In another unexpected collaboration, Lil Yachty’s versatile portfolio expands as he gets on his disco vibes for a remix of 2020’s “Breathe Deeper”. Lil Boat sings about the influence of psychedelics and the allure of women as he parties his way to numbness.
Will: reggie - “Avalanche (feat. Smino)”
I wanted to give a spotlight to upcoming Oakland rapper reggie, who has yet to release an album, but has delivered several fantastic singles this summer that sound like they’re straight out of 90’s Atlanta. Smino drops sixteen sweet bars in between verses from reggie as they both show their clear Outkast descendancy.
Will: Young Nudy & Pi’erre Bourne- Sunflower Seeds
After Jay-Z and Beyonce were seen listening to Sli’merre a few months ago, I gave the album another listen and I’m glad I did. “Sunflower Seeds” is a timeless example of the evolution of trap, exhibiting both the smooth, soft sounds of Pi’erre and the simple lines of mumble rapper Young Nudy. You can see Pi’erre Bourne live in Boston on November 22 at Paradise Rock Club!
David: Led Zeppelin- “Dazed and Confused”
This song has been in heavy rotation recently as I am planning on seeing the Led Zeppelin cover band called Get the Led Out soon. This has slowly turned into one of my favorite Zeppelin songs as it’s truly a 6 minute masterpiece. John Bonham’s groove toward the end of the song after Jimmy Page’s unreal solo makes for some of the best high energy rock music of all time. I definitely recommend checking this one out for anyone interested in delving into a genre other than hip-hop/rap.
David: Baby Keem- “scars”
The Melodic Blue was one of my favorite albums from the summer and this is arguably my favorite track. The sad piano is beautiful along with the marching band-type drums as Keem introduces a vastly different vibe on this track than the majority of the album. This and “16” are the most emotional tracks on the album, but his sound on this is so controlled and beautiful.
David: Isaiah Rashad- “Claymore (feat. Smino)”
Another one of my favorite albums from the summer was The House is Burning. “Claymore” is likely my favorite track, and although Rashad’s part is great, Smino really carries this song. He enters spontaneously in the middle of the song with an incredibly fast-paced verse flooded with subtle yet impeccable ad libs. The man is phenomenal and so unique.
David: Tyler, The Creator- “CORSO”
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is a masterpiece and my second favorite Tyler album. This track has so many layers to it, and the juxtaposition from the end of the intro track “SIR BAUDELAIRE” with the light flutes transitioning into this dark and intense piano and shaker beat makes such a strong statement in the beginning of this album. Tyler has some reckless bars and brags a ton. Pretty classic stuff here, the song is short, sweet and one of the best bangers on the project.
David: Pi’erre Bourne- “Couch”
I have always been a big fan of Pi’erre as both a producer and artist. The Life of Pi’erre 5 is when he started to gain more appreciation from hip-hop/rap listeners as an artist. This track is so smooth, laid back and such a great analysis of Pi’erre’s life before fame. He went from sleeping on his brother’s couch to having connections to and collaborations with some of the biggest names in the industry today.
David: Vince Staples- “LAW OF AVERAGES”
Consistently the most overlooked rapper is Vince Staples. He released a self-titled album this past summer and there was not much discussion about it from what I remember. “LAW OF AVERAGES” was the lead single for the album and features an interesting vocal sample which is chopped and repeated throughout the song. One of the best head-bopping tracks on the album.
David: Kanye West- “Believe What I Say”
I’m not going to lie, I was not the biggest fan of Donda, per my last article. But, “Believe What I Say” is amazing. I’m pretty sure I already said this, but let me reiterate when I say the song gives off “Fade” vibes with the groovy bass. Honestly it is one of my favorite Kanye choruses of all time, there’s great energy and I love when he adds a singing influence into his work, something he has started to do more as of recently.
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