Image via Ohgeesy/Instagram
Donald Morrison spent his Friday night on the transport bus to Rikers singing the Degrassi theme song.
Something you might remember about Fort Worth, Texas rapper Boogotti Kasino is that he may or may not have stolen former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead’s lilac pitbull in 2017.
News of the crime hit Instagram after Whitehead posted that his dog, Blitz, had been stolen from his house while a friend was supposed to be watching him. Somehow, Boogotti came into possession of the dog hours later, claiming in his own Instagram post that he paid a $20K ransom for him. He said he was only looking to return Blitz, while also adding that he’d like to be kindly reimbursed for his selfless act. The dog was eventually returned with Boogotti, who claimed to have taken a financial loss – looks like bad things do happen to good people after all.
Boogotti recently ended a years-long beef with LilCj Kasino, another Fort Worth alum who appears on “Wanna Be A Baller,” their new single that pays homage to a slew of Southern greats over a sample of Do or Die’s “Still Po’ Pimpin’.” The name itself is a nod to Lil Troy’s ubiquitous masterpiece from 1998 and the chorus evokes the names of both Fat Pat and Pimp C. While Boogotti and LilCj might not be the next UGK, their easy chemistry is undeniable, with Boogotti’s subdued vocals matching LilCj’s natural assertiveness, with the latter reminding me of a more focused Moneybagg Yo, coming in just slightly too loud and seemingly unwilling to approach rapping any other way.
MarijuanaXO spends part of his verse on “October” saying that his favorite white boy made the beat. I’m having trouble finding out who produced the song but I found it a nice gesture on a record that deals with brotherhood so intently. MarijuanaXO plays the Big Homie role to Solohill on Solo’s new single “October,” where the young rapper bookends an impressive XO’ verse with raps about loyalty and revenge. He says matter-of-factly: “If you my brother, you my brother, we can go a long way, but if you stab me in the back, I gotta kill you with the Drac’.” There’s something inherently “Mafioso” about the production that reminds me of The Godfather. The Milwaukee-based MarjuanaXO is poised to have a breakout year if he keeps up his streak of great guest verses and full length projects, like last year’s Windshield Tinted.
OhGeesy surprises no one with his latest single “GEEKALEEK,” which, you guessed it, flips Petey Pablo’s “Freak-A-Leek” into what Youtube commenters are hastily calling an early contender for song of the summer. It’s a tried and true formula for the former Shoreline Mafia frontman, who once flipped Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” into the opener for Mafia Bidness. But it’s not just Shoreline Mafia: there’s a larger trend of artists reaching into the early 2000s vaults for inspiration. Sometimes it lands, like when the Bay Area’s DaBoii puts his own spin on Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Other times, it sounds like a lazy attempt at capitalizing on a better artist’s original idea.
My favorite Shoreline Mafia songs are never New LA revamps of past hits. I prefer the paranoid and woozy aesthetics of their best RonRonTheProducer-assisted tracks, where they created their own sound that defined the LA of today as opposed to relying on old Petey Pablo records. This is, of course, a lot of complaining to ultimately say that I like “GEEKALEEK” and appreciate how OhGeesy didn’t try and recreate the formal device of the first one, sparing us from hearing him rattle off names of women he’s fucked. The one unpredictable element in the song also happens to be its best: the inclusion of Cash Kidd, a Detroit rapper known for his dense and darkly funny one-liners that have a tendency to linger in my head for weeks. Here he’s in top form, referring to himself as the foulmouthed stuffed animal from the movie Ted over his right to “bear arms” and says he feels like Michael Jackson the way his hand glistens.
On the topic of former Shoreline Mafia stars, Fenix Flexin released the audio for his new song with the currently-incarcerated MoneySign Suede, aptly titled “MONEYSIGNFLEXIN” on the same day as “GEEKALEEK.” The production, handled by DJ Flippp, could fit nicely on any number of past Shoreline Mafia releases and will likely be included on the forthcoming Fenix Flexin Vol. 3. Suede introduces himself as “the little Mexican coming out the West,” quickly denouncing his competition as liars and cappers, and decrying that his whole automobile is full of parolees.
Kenny Muney raps like he’s in a rush, nimbly connecting one line after the other without much room for breathing or slowing down The Memphis-raised rapper is signed to Paper Route Empire, the label founded by the late Young Dolph and is currently closely aligned with Dolph’s protege, a star in his own right, Key Glock. Kenny Muney has the kind of polished appeal and technical prowess of someone who’s been rapping for a long time. “In a Rush” features one of my favorite rap video tropes: when an artist and their small crew record a video centered around them driving and turning up in a car. Kenny is wearing the all-denim Gallery Dept. sweatshirt I’ve had my eyes on, complete with a matching bucket hat tying the outfit together. You can tell that Kenny is a student of the proverbial Paper Route University, with his dead-pan delivery and short-fused humor descending directly from Key Glock and Young Dolph.
Marjorie W.C. Sinclair is back with another slice of extremely relatable lifestyle raps over 80’s-themed production. “Airbnb not cheap but it was worth it for the price,” he says. There’s a grainy quality to his music and videos that feels unique and deceptively hard to pin down. His beat selection is similar to Detroit’s BabyTron, as pointed out by Yousef Srour in his Bay Area Type Beat column. But the lyrical content is decidedly different, with Marjorie quick to get sentimental at a moment’s notice. “I’m thinking bout’ all the times I fucked up when we hung out, too in my head to make a move and fuck around.” His angst-filled lyrics lend a certain authenticity when juxtaposed with poorly-mastered and bright production. I hope he never changes.
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