![]() ![]() The highlight, of course, was future single “ Through the Wire,” recorded literally through the wire that held his teeth in a gritted formation after a car accident. Get Well Soon (2003) was a mixtape in the older sense, a greatest hits compilation of West’s best beats for other artists–songs that would arrive on his debut album, The College Dropout, and songs that would not (the Consequence-featuring “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” ). Kanye’s innovation was to leave in the vocals, pitch-shifting them to helium speeds to create an overload of “soulfulness,” of joyous vulnerability in a genre that had made armor into an art form. Then an aspiring rapper from Chicago, Kanye West was inspired by Puff Daddy's production team the Hitmen, who shifted the sound of pop toward hip-hop in the late 1990s. When The Blueprint legitimized Jay Z to hip-hop heads and critics, granting the notoriously callous rapper the appearance of a heart, it also stirred up attention for the most outspoken member of its production team. Listen: Kevin Gates: The Luca Brasi Story ![]() It was the self-assured step of Luca Brasi that put Gates on the path toward becoming rap’s most unexpected crossover star.-Winston Cook-Wilson More mixtapes, with more by-the-numbers hits, would follow. There were trap depth charges brimming over with brick-flipping shoptalk and eulogies to fallen friends, but Gates’ integrity as a storyteller was always complemented by radio-ready songwriting ( “Neon Lights,” “Around Me” ). Mournful melodies wended around irresolute synth harmonies, sometimes boasting the most romantic, occasionally softcore street rap lyrics of recent memory. The Baton Rouge-bred rapper honed this style further on 2013’s The Luca Brasi Story, a stunning, sprawling mixtape later abridged into an Atlantic Records -backed mini-album. ![]() Midway, though, Gates waded toward A&R dollar signs, delivering sighing, gospel-infused melodies on the anthem “Satellites.” The first, more utilitarian half of Kevin Gates ’ 2012 mixtape Make 'Em Believe painted the picture of a logical, if self-effacing, Jeezy successor. Here, following his instincts guaranteed that more stuck to the wall than fell off.-Matthew Ramirez He also didn’t shy away from plainspoken honesty, apologizing for pushing his inner pain on others ( “February’s Confessions” ) and shouting out his mom ( “I Love You” ). “I Own Swag” is still an iconic B jam, hijacking a David Banner beat to bury the rapper the same way he buried Joe Budden : “You know I’m more famous than you/And I can do everything that you can’t do/Or try to,” is a bar that surpasses its target, and is even more meaningful today than in 2012. God’s Father (2012) is one of B’s most deliriously varied tapes, sampling New Edition, Hall & Oates, the cult videogame Ico, Millie Jackson, Toto, and Cypress Hill with aplomb and no allegiance to era or consistency. It was so ubiquitous for awhile, many rappers have since tried and failed to copy his viral formula–but good luck, because B was always more famous, more able, and (most importantly) more unusual. He did just that on God’s Father, a freeform of 34 tracks, nearly two-hour runtime and barely any duds. David DrakeĪfter the magazine covers, after the Myspace spree, Lil B was ready to intimidate in his second act. Lyrically inventive, musically ambitious, and unpredictably urgent, Writing on the Wall was quintessential Gucci. Then there was "Wasted,” the Fatboi-produced track so hot it would jump from mixtape cut to radio single, propelling the rapper onto the Hot 100 yet again. Opening with the carnivalesque “ Hurry,” it showed such madcap creativity: “ Gucci got a warrant/How the fuck I get subpoenaed?/Objection! What's the objection?/Your honor, I'm a genius!” “First Day Out” remains his signature record with Zaytoven, iconic lyrics (“I'm starting out my day with a blunt of purp.”) sketched out with menacing understatement. Writing on the Wall, his first tape and one of his most compelling contributions, created a new blueprint. And then he went to jail.īy the time he was released in spring 2009, people were just beginning to comprehend the full scope of what he'd accomplished. He flanked the entire industry, taking the model pioneered by 50 Cent and magnified by Wayne to its logical outer limit. Throughout 20, from No Pad, No Pencil to the full series of Wilt Chamberlain tapes and Gangsta Grillz: The Movie with DJ Drama, Gucci Mane broke the rulebook. Gucci Mane was the most consistent mixtape auteur of the modern era choosing his highlights comes down to a matter of temperament. ![]()
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