A selection of slept-on projects from last year that are still worthy of a download.
Well now it's 2015 we have plenty of good music to look forward too, when it comes to mixtapes (just peep the Upcoming section) and albums. Even in this one-listen-then-on-to-the-next generation, it's still appropriate to bump music that dropped last year, right? Especially because some projects didn't get as much as love as the quality of said projects deserve. By now you've probably seen, commented, debated (and possibly disliked) our Hottest Mixtapes of 2014 list-- by definition, the 'hottest' mixtapes are projects that had a ton of downloads, hype, clicks, fans, and yes, the music and the artist was also hot. But what about mixtapes that had hot jams, but just didn't get any plays? We're digging those ones up today for some of the most slept-on projects of 2014. Slept-on, but dope. Same could be said for any of the artists on this list, actually.
Re-visit these mixtapes or download them for the first time, either way, they're free and worthy of a listen. Let us know your favorites. Keep in mind this list is in absolutely no particular order.
www.confezzednoize.com
www.confezzednoize.com
Ro Ransom- RRITF
While Ro Ransom Is The Future was extremely anticipated within Ro’s small-but-growing fanbase, the rest of the world was snoozing. Ro gave us the future, finally, with his new mixtape, entirely produced by RobGotBeats. One producer, one sound, and all around dope style. RRITF is basically a night out in New York with the Young Coyote. We start mid-party with the hyped “Party In The Dark,” and after the build-up things soon come down on songs like “Nightfall.” However the party isn’t over yet, and the energy returns on records like “Anaconda Vise” and “Honor Among Thieves.” The rapper dabbles with singing throughout the mixtape’s 14 tracks, all the while offering up tidbits of information about his life, past, present and future. Welcome to Ro Ransom. www.confezzednoize.com
Archibald Slim- He’s Drunk!
Archibald Slim, a member of the buzzing Awful Records collective, released He’s Drunk! quietly at the beginning of September. It did not pop up many places, even we were late to the party, posting the mixtape in October. Thus is checks all the right boxes for ‘slept-on’. Slim offers up a dark (the cover art alone is not the most uplifting thing) project, with weird rhymes and a conversational flow. It’s an intriguing project, with an array of production that includes jazz, soulful samples, however, Slim shines most on records like the introductory “He’s Drunk”, “Needs” and “Politics.” www.confezzednoize.com
Rome Fortune- Drives, Thighs & Lies
Rome Fortune’s career is in a pretty interesting (read: weird) place right now. From a critical and industry insider perspective, he’s on point, he’s respected and dope. However the 'fans' are not necessarily following suit. Nonetheless, the Atlanta rapper continues to show and prove with each free release (and there are plenty of them), and hopefully widening his fan base with each new release. 2014 found three new projects from Rome, which is definitely more than your average internet rapper. Drives, Thighs & Lies, with producer Dun Deal, may have been the most over-looked. I might be inclined to say it was better than his Small World mixtape, which had more hype surrounding its release, and by extension was less slept on. Dun Deal killed the hollow yet ambient production found through out Drives, Thighs & Lies, and Rome kept everything lady-friendly. www.confezzednoize.com
Will 2015 be Nikko Lafre’s year, finally? We’ll have to wait and see. He set the tone right recently with his stripper-enthusiastic single “Pro,” and if you want more like that, you should actually peep what came prior: MPLS: West End Stories. It could very well be the most cohesive project you did not hear in 2014. MPLS could also be Nikko’s best project to date, he’s found himself a specific sound thanks to sticking to the same producer, K-Beatz, 99% of the time. Rappers should take note re: one producer to help develop your sound. The result for Nikko is tingly, dark, slightly trap-driven production with Nikko deep slur often relaying stories over it, from “Geechi’ Story” part 2 to “Hometown Love.” This is a slow-moving mixtape, as slow-moving as you can get without being chopped & screwed. It’s night time music, but, don’t sleep. www.confezzednoize.com
QuESt- Searching Sylvan
QuESt quickly became an HNHH fan-favorite leading up to his Searching Sylvan release, and although a lot of HNHH fans came through to download the tape, it’s safe to say it was otherwise slept on from the rest of the e-world (and real world). After a few years of struggle rapping, QuESt has finally found his own lane and his own home with Visionary Music Group. With help from VMG, QuESt release his strongest project to date and, at the same time, gave fans a close look at his come-up and the trials he went through. The whole project is intertwined by skits with QuESt and his mom, as QuESt (regretfully) moves back home after getting evicted—this is where we start, and as the tape progresses we get deeper into QuESt’s past. Most of the backing soundtrack for QuEST's story is smooth, musical production, but every now then the rapper turns up a notch, like on the unrelenting “Automatic” and equally aggressive “Hunger.” Now we just need a few more fans to find to Sylvan.
Lucki Eck$- Body High
Lucki Eck$ dropped off his second project in the fall of 2014, Body High. The mixtape explored familiar themes from the rapper, from the initial high to the come down, to the ‘should I pop this Xanax or nah?’ Basically, Body High sounds like when you have smoked a little too much weed and you feel yourself melting into the couch. You can replace the word ‘weed’ with your vice of choice. Everything’s slowed down and slurred in Lucki Eck$’, trippy world (Lucki himself was probably tripping while he recorded this), and the beats follow suit. If you want to get fucked up, and then just sit there and reflect, this is the tape to do it too.
Pell- Floating While Dreaming
It’s not like we have a ton of rappers putting on for New Orleans right now, apart from already established figures like Curren$y. Pell is up for the job. The NOLA native officially introduced himself to the world with his free debut album Floating While Dreaming. Don’t expect some straight up Bounce shit on here though, instead, Pell get influences from soul and jazz. His cadence is a bit similar to Chicagoian Chance The Rapper, but that’s about the only way these two rappers overlap, Whereas most rappers, even new ones without a dollar to their name, are focused on big up banging the trap, bad bitches, stacks of cash etc, Pell puts his energy towards more positive things. This mixtape isn’t about getting fucked up, it’s about getting your dreams. www.confezzednoize.com
Ugly Frank’s Bobby Hill EP most likely slipped under your radar. So here we go. The rapper is a member of three-man crew ILL FIGHT YOU, and remains relatively unknown. With a crew name like that, and a rap name like ‘Ugly Frank,’ you probably expect a bit of belligerence from this rapper a la Tyler, The Creator. You would be right. It’s not over the top Waka Flocka-like belligerence, but Ugly Frank definitely has an alluring energy about him that will make you want to turn up. His creative flow is another plus, and the range of production he tackles within the seven tracks is a sure sign of versatility. Nonetheless everything has an underlying West Coast vibe, despite Ugly Frank hailing from Washington State. But we all know geographical boundaries mean nothing anymore. www.confezzednoize.com
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