Image via DaBoii/Instagram
Donny Morrison chooses Key Lime over Pumpkin, and it’s not even close.
There’s a long list of 03 Greedo songs that you can tell will be classics within five seconds of hearing them: the unmastered excellence of “Sweet Lady,” the underwater-quality to “Substance,” and the melodic mic-check-like crooning of “Mafia Business.” He’s drawn to a certain type of airy, melancholic production that melds with his voice in a way that can’t be mimicked: a true one-of-one. It’s these qualities that make it possible to identify a classic Greedo song within mere seconds of hearing it. I could tell “Sex On You” was a classic the the moment Greedo’s voice croons in: “Spread Your Leeeeegs.”
At the end of the day, 03 Greedo is for the ladies. Some of his best songs are odes to the opposite sex that somehow double as street music. He taps into the vulnerable thug archetype better than just about anyone. Tapri Grams, who sounds like LA’s answer to NorCal’s Aflacko, easily matches Greedo’s romantic crooning with muted, autotuned vocals on “Sex On You,” where both artists craft a near perfect bedroom jawn. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns into a TikTok hit by the end of February.
“Sex On You” is featured on Tapri Grams new record, B4AM, which shows an artist finding his footing with a melodic flow in the vein of Greedo and Wallie the Sensei– a project that figures to bump from L.A. County cars for the foreseeable future.
Big Sad 1900 is gearing up to release his an unofficial debut, My Side, They Side & The Truth. The Playboy Gangster Crip rapper’s buzz couldn’t be bigger In LA, with some saying Big Sad is poised to fill the void left by the untimely passing of Nipsey Hussle. Both Crip-affiliated artists are known for their prolific output and ability to tap-in with a single producer for an entire project. “No Bail” features a pitched-up sample, smacking snares and Big Sad with a stop-start flow not unlike the one perfected by Neighborhood Nip.
On “Free Mitch,” DaBoii raps over a slowed down rework of “Growing Pains,” a standout from Ludacris’ 2001 sophomore album Word of Mouf. By this point, DaBoii is known for taking hits from the early 2000s and adding his energetic Vallejo spin to it. The SOB alumni’s hot streak has slowed a bit after he was arrested and jailed last year. However, it hasn’t stopped his team from dropping a loosie every now and then.
“Free Mitch” further cements DaBoii’s stranglehold on the type of bombastic Bay Area slappers the NorCal enclave has long been known for. Also, I spot a small Veeze cameo near the beginning of the video, proving the Navy Wavy CEO is unavoidable these days.
Kodak’s latest single highlights his versatility over a spacey, pop-infused beat. The anthemic, almost corny production, sounds hilarious juxtaposed with Kodak’s lyrics, which begin with him talking about his “Yak Sauce” and lamenting his time with a friend named “pook-a-dook.”
It can be easy to forget that Greedo is only one year removed from spending more than four years in a federal penitentiary in Texas, under the guise that he might have had to do his whole 20 year sentence. While he was inside, he lost half a dozen of his closest friends and collaborators to violent deaths. His release was rightly celebrated and he wasted no time getting to work, recording albums worth of music and touring whenever possible.
But the trauma of the past five years is never far for him. On his latest single, “Still In Shocc,” Greedo reminds everyone of all he’s lost and gives himself room to be patient in his transition back into society.
“Goin’ back to Cali’ cause I know my city need me
We lost Nipsey Hussle, lost Kobe, lost Gigi
Lost Drakeo the ruler, lost Ketchy from the Stinc Team
Missed all of they funerals cause Texas ain’t release me”
Greedo has kept busy since his release, for better or for worse, in order to avoid dealing with an overwhelming amount of loss. It sounds like with “Still In Shocc,” Greedo is finally giving himself room to mourn his past and space to grow into a new chapter of his life and career.
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