![]() ![]() It's got some hip-house bangers, but it's not just hip-house. ![]() The timing is perfect, since it's coming at a time where hip hop and dance music have collided on some of the biggest singles of the year, and it's also even stronger than the music Cakes was making when he first started to take off. Now he returns with his first full-length album since those EPs (and first album in six years, and first since bringing his infectious charisma to Netflix's Rhythm + Flow), Svengali. NJ-born rapper Cakes Da Killa emerged in the mid 2010s as a talented purveyor of hip-house, but he eventually slowed his output down before experiencing a comeback with two well-received EPs produced by Proper Villains in 20. It's kind of like an alternative/underground rap version of Kanye's Cruel Summer, a project that's clearly a group effort but still with one creative mind in the driver's seat. Ferreira, and Aesop Rock for standout verses, while producers like Madlib, Diamond D of DITC, Quelle Chris, Illingsworth, Child Actor, and others lay down a selection of beats that fit the vibe perfectly and keep the album flowing. OME also ropes in talented friends like Armand Hammer, R.A.P. It's got plenty of moments that show off Open Mike Eagle's increasingly good knack for eccentric rap, and his frequently-appearing pals Video Dave and Still Rift scratch a similar itch. That's a lot to attempt at once, but Component System With The Auto Reverse does it in a way that feels totally natural. Open Mike Eagle refers to Component System With The Auto Reverse as part solo album and spiritual mixtape, part green room cipher, and part showcase for his label Auto Reverse Records. Open Mike Eagle - Component System With The Auto Reverse It makes a lot of sense why these two decided to do a whole project together they really seem to bring out the best in one another. He's clearly got a distinct vision, but he also knows how to cater to the rappers he's working with, and he goes for something a little hazier and more laid-back on Wiki's album than he did on other releases, and Wiki really excels over beats like this. "I feel like we do it a certain way where it's still old school, but it's a new twist on it," Subjxct 5 recently told The FADER, after citing Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Pharrell, DJ Premier, and Just Blaze as his core influences. So the whole thing is a very close-knit affair, and Subjxct 5's production style is perfect for Wiki, who's also an old East Coast soul as well as a forward-thinker. ![]() The project follows Wiki appearing on tracks off two Subjxct 5-produced 2021 albums: Papo2oo4 and DJ Lucas' 2021 Dirty Designer and Reed & Hunnaloe's SRH, and all four of those rappers also appear on Cold Cuts, alongside past Subjxct 5 collaborators Afrikillz and YL, the aforementioned Navy Blue, and Wiki's old pal Slicky. Lately he's been doing projects entirely produced by a single producer, like 2021's NAH-produced Telephonebooth and the especially great Navy Blue-produced Half God, and this new one was helmed by NJ producer Subjxct 5, who's been on the rise thanks to putting a modern spin on early 2000s style East Coast production. Wiki could probably have been a huge rapper if he wanted to, but he seems way more interested in sticking with the underground, and his latest self-released mixtape is yet another great underground rap release. ![]() The only guest appearance on the album comes from Amindi, who injects a dose of neo-soul into "Trip" otherwise MAVI handles everything himself, and he's got the commanding presence needed to do so. MAVI's delivery is also clearer and more melodic than ever he puts his strong lyricism front and center, and he's got a newfound knack for casually blurring the lines between rapping and singing. He recruited a team of producers, including Monte Booker, Ovrcast, Wulf Morpheus, Coffee Black, Dylvinci, and more, and together they created an album that veers more towards warm, organic jazz-rap compared to the warped, crackling sound that defined Let the Sun Talk - though there's still a little of that too. Part of MAVI's breakthrough was thanks to a collaborative relationship with Earl Sweatshirt, who MAVI was frequently compared to early on, but he's really come into his own since then. Charlotte experimental rapper MAVI returns with not just his first full-length project since his 2019 breakthrough Let the Sun Talk, but his lengthiest, most expansive project yet. ![]()
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