Alphonse Pierre
Pitchfork
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Past articles by Alphonse:
Listen to AmexNez, Lil Juani, Kezzo 2k’s, and FTL Vick’s “Natyana”: New Rap Music Today
AmexNez, Lil Juani, Kezzo 2k’s, and FTL Vick - “Natyana” Usually I avoid directly comparing Milwaukee rap to Michigan rap, but Michigan posse cuts are in the blood of “Natyana,” mostly in how the song has a single concept—the girl they’re dating is hella annoying—and how each rapper who tags in touches on that before doing their own thing. I’m not exactly able to tell whose verse is where—the… → Read More
Listen to skypearleddat’s “She Ain FWM!!!”: New Rap Music Today
skypearleddat - “She Ain FWM!!!” With a string sample that could soundtrack the carousel ride in Strangers on a Train, skypearleddat’s “She Ain FWM!!!” is like the most disturbing version of carnival funhouse music. There’s blaring 808s, enough gunshots for an old Goth Money Records mixtape, and hi-hats that sound like a barrage of daggers hitting a wall. Her vocals are similarly wild: so much… → Read More
Record Store Day 2023: The 1975, Taylor Swift, Beach House, and More
Wilco, Nas, Miles Davis, Madonna, Paul McCartney, and many other artists have exclusive releases set for April 22 → Read More
Listen to BigXthaPlug’s “Bacc to tha Basics”: New Rap Music Today
BigXthaPlug - “Bacc to tha Basics” Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug has a voice so deep that it feels naturally chopped and screwed. In another life, he could have done voiceover work for movie trailers or acted as cartoon villains, but thankfully he’s a rapper because he’s damn good. Throughout his new album Amar, BigXthaPlug’s booming vocals slide across an eclectic spread of beats: the neo-soul on… → Read More
Listen to Maxo’s “Free!”: New Rap Music Today
Laughs, fuck ups, and insecurities share the same space in a Maxo song. It’s what makes him an incredibly grounded rapper whose growth you can trace through his music. “Free!” is a single from the Cali wordsmith’s upcoming album, Even God Has a Sense of Humor, his first project since Lil Big Man nearly four years ago. If Lil Big Man was Maxo reflecting on his entry into adulthood, then “Free!”… → Read More
Talibando: War Lord Album Review
With shades of late-’90s New Orleans and mid-aughts trap, the Detroit rapper’s newest mixtape casts an ominous spell even when his writing isn’t at its strongest. → Read More
Listen to Ot7Quanny’s “New Money” [ft. G.T.]: New Rap Music Today
Ot7Quanny - “New Money” [ft. G.T.] Qt7Quanny singles are getting increasingly operatic. Recently the beats have featured dramatic, church-like vocal samples that could soundtrack Tom Cruise at the high society orgy in Eyes Wide Shut. His lyrics are more vivid than before: Most lines feel like the beginning of a story of their own. “New Money” is the most theatrical of the bunch. There are few… → Read More
Listen to Rx Papi’s “Baby Z”: New Rap Music Today
If you’re like me and believe that the best Rx Papi can be found on both volumes of Dope Deals & Record Sales, then Marlo is for you. It’s not exactly as good as Dope Deals, but it’s in the vicinity; all No Limit and Detroit-style beats paired with burned-out introspection. On “Baby Z,” the final song on the project, Rx Papi has a problem to solve: “The rent due in the morning.” Set to… → Read More
Listen to WinterDaBrat’s “Whole Lotta Glah Glah Boom Shit”: New Rap Music Today
WinterDaBrat - “Whole Lotta Glah Glah Boom Shit” In the comments section of emerging New York drill rapper WinterDaBrat’s crazily-titled new song, “Whole Lotta Glah Glah Boom Shit,” is an accurate description: “dead ass had to play it at 0.75x speed to understand everything.” Exactly! This is not the type of fast rapping you might find on a Twista or Busta Rhymes track; those two have grace,… → Read More
Lil Keed’s New Song “Long Way to Go” Released: Listen
The first posthumous single from the Atlanta rapper, who died in May 2022 at the age of 24 → Read More
Listen to Xaviersobased’s “how i feel 2”: New Rap Music Today
Xaviersobased - “how i feel 2” The final 45 seconds of Xaviersobased’s “how i feel 2” is the eccentric rapper repeating, “Do you really think most of all these niggas real?” over and over again. At first, the question can be interpreted simply as: Are you surrounding yourself with fake friends? Then, as it keeps going it becomes trippier than the brainwashing scene in the Manchurian Candidate,… → Read More
Boldy James Shares New Video for “Another Bando”: Watch
The track, featuring Jai Imani and produced by RichGains, appears on Indiana Jones, released just weeks after James was involved in a serious car accident in Detroit → Read More
Lil Yachty: Let’s Start Here. Album Review
Despite its intriguing concept, Lil Yachty’s voyage into soul and psych-rock runs aground. → Read More
Listen to Brian Brown’s “NBA Jam”: New Rap Music Today
Brian Brown - “NBA Jam” Nashville rapper Brian Brown’s new EP Two Minute Drill is centered around urgency. It’s five songs on beats that are two minutes and under, which forces him to cram within those confines. The result is extremely motivated rapping with few throwaway lines, like Bruce Willis trying to get to the ticking time bomb before it goes boom. You can feel that fire on the intro “NBA… → Read More
Gloss Up: Before the Gloss Up Album Review
In spite of a few obligatory major label maneuvers, the Memphis rapper’s debut mixtape preserves her charisma with a rush of shit-talking and warning shots. → Read More
Listen to RealStasher 50k’s “Freestyle”: New Rap Music Today
RealStasher 50k - “Freestyle” Listening to Milwaukee rapper RealStasher 50k’s mixtape Fuck the Club Call the Plug Vol. 1 (amazing title), I was reminded of Michigan projects from a few years ago like Damjonboi’s The Number 20 and Drego and Beno’s Sorry for the Get Off. Mainly because of how RealStasher pulls you into his neighborhood routine over a collection of mid tempo, piano-driven grooves.… → Read More
Listen to Los’ “RIP Shawty Lo”: New Rap Music Today
Los - “RIP Shawty Lo” Detroit rapper Los and producer Topside are very good apart, but together they reach another level. Topside’s breezy instrumentals, with their sleek basslines and booming percussion, are the perfect backdrop for Los’ vignettes, which are as economical and colorful as a Parker novel. Their chemistry is on display on “RIP Shawty Lo,” as the calmly ticking hi-hats and brooding… → Read More
Tae Dawg: Sorry 4 Da Ooze Album Review
Surfing between piano-driven minimalism and hazy synth experiments, the Maryland rapper’s latest mixtape seeks the next evolution of DMV rap. → Read More
Listen to cmillano’s “uber”: New Rap Music Today
cmillano is a rapper from the London-based collective escape plan who has a flair for tracks that make it feel like you’re spending a day with his crew. The ultra-specific location details are what sell the music: “I just got off at Finsbury, got a bad one wanna link me/My bro’s done road at Finchley, just so he could spend it up on Bond street,” he rapped on the breezy single “finchley” from… → Read More
Listen to 9ina’s “Rubberbandz” New Rap Music Today
9ina - “Rubberbandz” 9ina is a mean-spirited loudmouth from Columbus, Ohio who has been ripping every beat that’s come her way since a 2020 remix of “Heavy Steppers” with Bidney Blood. Belligerence is the norm for her. On “Rubberbandz,” her hostility is directed at those not focused on getting the bag as much as her: She calls a girl “weird” for not talking money (harsh) and asks a dude for his… → Read More