This week's Friday's Heat features tracks from: Kap G & Quavo, CyHi The Prynce, Young Sizzle & Gucci Mane, Russ, Kyle & Cousin Stizz
"No New Friends" by Kap G featuring Quavo
The Falcons might have blown a 28-3 lead, but Atlanta keeps hitting with dope music. Rising ATL spitter, Kap G, recruits Migos’ Quavo for the hyphy hit, “No New Friends” en route to the ultimate goal: to get more money. The two young kings have it all: fans, money, girls, and all the friends in the world, rejecting the need for any newcomers in their immediate social circles.
If you haven’t starved with them when they were broke, then you damn sure can’t eat with them when they’re winning—which they’re doing in spades. Migos just earned the Billboard number one album spot with their recent release, Culture, and Kap G continues to establish his footing and name in Atlanta’s crowded trap scene, thanks to his interesting aesthetic, solid music, and industry veteran co-signs (he’s signed to Pharrell’s i am OTHER label). This track is a victory lap. Kap G and Quavo can’t stop winning.
“Legend” by CyHi The Prynce
Oh man oh man, today’s going to be a good day. CyHi breaks his deafening silence with his new banger, “Legend”—a loud reminder to everyone who’s been frequenting Sleepy’s too much by snoozing on the GOOD Music signee. The last I heard of CyHi was with his solo carpool karaoke audition, spitting over Kanye’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1,” which blew the original version out of the water. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that CyHi is laying down heat, considering that he’s been perfecting his craft for some time.
The Prynce uses his latest track, “Legend,” to discuss his backstory and impressive skill that warrants him this self-assigned legendary status; it’s accompanied by wordplay, scintillating references, and an unwavering confidence: “I been spittin' real since real the real and floppy disk…Kick this shit of the dome / Like that Ronda Rousey chick.” With only a handful of public projects released and a quasi mythical aura, it takes profound self-assurance to assert these proclamations. However, “Legend” confirms what Hip Hop fans have known: CyHi is nice with the pen.
“Spelling B” by Young Sizzle featuring Gucci Mane
What’s a little Friday’s Heat without a Wizop feature? Young Sizzle’s self-produced track is a bumping trap production that structures the hood’s spelling bee. Not the kind that you played in second grade, where you kept forgetting that “spaghetti” had an “h” in the middle—the kind proclaiming your boss status.
Sizzle details his booming musical rise with a braggadocio that manifests in spelling out his accomplishments, literally. He likes to swerve in his whip that has no T-O-P; he’s been known to keep that chicken, or simply put, that K-F-C; the ladies love him so much that they sacrifice any self-worth by being his P-E-T. I probably would have done much better in elementary school if my spelling bees resembled this complexity. “Spelling B” is a single off Sizzle’s new EP, Trap Ye.
“The Journey” by Russ
24-year-old Russ is becoming a household name. With his SoundCloud page amassing over a whopping 40-million plays since its 2014 creation, the Georgia native is intent on disproving any doubters through releasing a steady stream of new content. This past Monday, he continued this initiative.
Russ’ “The Journey” details his continued success that’s strengthened his brand, affording him big money and an even bigger name. Reverting his flow to a more classic, Golden Age, cadence and sound, Russ spits over the simple yet rhythmic self-produced beat, asserting his growing confidence. The song’s nonexistent hook allows Russ to densely pack “The Journey” with wordplay that exposes his borderline cockiness (“I’m a don like Cheadle"), while simultaneous heat checking himself (“And I got more songs than the Beatles, woah / That’s a stretch? / Yeah, I guess / But you get the jist”). He also takes this opportunity to throw shots at viral internet rappers who mask their ineptitude with flashy gimmicks. Russ is a rapper’s rapper who’s intent on prying open everyone’s eyes who’ve been sleeping on him.
“Want Me Bad” by Kyle. featuring Cousin Stizz
Admittedly, I’ve been sleeping on Kyle AKA SuperDuperKyle and his newest track, “Want Me Bad,” featuring scorching hot emcee, Cousin Stizz, emphasizes my musical ignorance. While he hasn't’ dropped a project since 2015’s Smyle, Kyle has been busy teaming up with rising artists, like Lil Yachty on the hit “iSpy,” and continues bolstering his name with accompanying positively trending artists on “Want Me Bad.”
It seems like fame and paranoia are directly related, as Kyle and Stizz discuss their rising status’ enticement of haters self-created demons, hoping for their demise. But with strong teams surrounding them, coupled with a bulletproof faith in their abilities, Kyle and Stizz aren’t letting anyone get them down when they still have so much potential to reach. Ayo’s electronic-cloud-hip hop production gives the two rappers a sturdy foundation to rap over, making “Want Me Bad” a necessary addition to the week’s “Friday’s Heat.”