ATSIC S04E22 - CONSTANT

On an on through the dog days of summer, this week, like every other episode, I picked my favourite new releases and put them together to form a playlist that makes some sort of sonic sense. A random shuffle Spotify list is alright, but an hour long mix with a constant vibe is what I aim for. I put these things together for people who enjoy listening to albums from start to end. Keep coming back for more of the same. Next week Baggylean should be back, with a new mix. This week it’s mostly boom bap; bars and break beats.

Every week I start off with Wu, that’s a constant on the show. This time, it’s another 2nd Generation Wu feature, with iNTeLL & Sun God holding things down alongside a soulful hook from Charlilonewolf. GFK and UGod’s adult offspring holding things down.

”Xo” is off of Milla Thyme’s new one, “Love>Fear”. Milla boogies past and signs off on a note to his doubters. I had to tell Baggylean to take this one out of his mix for next week, which has a bunch of much more danceable music, because I decided to start things off with it here instead. Good bounce to get things under way.

Skye Stoney made "Waves” for his people, and they’ll appreciate it if they’re looking for real shit from Saskatoon. Uplifting, hard hitting, and socially conscious are a combo that will land a song firmly on these mixes and leave me paying attention to the next release.

There’s a new steaming pile from the Dookie Bros, Shy the Beat Yoda & Franchise’s group project, called “Manure Muisc Vol. 2”. These Toronto vets are making hardline Hip Hop with tongues firmly in cheek as they make every possible shit joke you can think of and rap about fucking your mom. The beats all slap, and this follow up album has some songs that rely a bit less heavily on the shitty puns, such as “Lo Shit”. Shit.

I started following MessEmUpBeats on IG this week because I found his new track with BKRSCLB recruit Funk Lo. Saw him say something about not being a rapper, and accidentally falling into it after starting to release beats a couple years ago. He’s one of the few artists I’ve found who reps Ottawa, so he’s on the list. And Funk Lo has gems.

Haven’t played Winnipeg’s Chezza for a while, got to fix that. “Step Out!” is his new one, celebrating a return to the dancefloors after covid (it which shall not be named, in these parts at least), with some dancehall stylings. All I’ve got to say is enjoy the parties, and take your ass home if you’re coughing on everyone.

“History Repeats”; I’m playing more B1 the Architect, this time featuring ILL-EYEZ. I don’t know anything about ILL-EYEZ because there wasn’t much I could find online, and I live behind this computer for the most part. Track goes hard. B says some stuff about how when he’s writing is the only time he isn’t depressed, which is pretty close to what a lot of the artists I talk to say when I ask them why they make music. Make sure you talk to someone if you’re going through it, times get better.

Justo the MC & Brelstaff, an English producer, pass around a weed anthem with “High”. Raps about my favourite intoxicant aren’t always my favourite, but Justo is enough of a vet to sidestep the usual cliches on this one and the result is a cloudy float over top of a muted but familiar melody.

SLNC is American, from Carolina, but Sythe is a rapper-producer in Vancouver, so their collabo counts for ATSIC. Their new one “P’s in the Tahoe” is braggadocious pusher man stories over a smooth jazz instrumental. Sort of an interlude to the mix before “Safe Flight” finds SAYZEE soaring through the friendly skies on his new album Yugoslavia. Floaty. Float season in full effect, get a tube.

Saskatoon checks in twice in one episode; this time with Skizza dropping off his new project Champion Season, where he teamed up with Regina’s own AK Productions and went for the title. Kyle Lowry has him asserting his starter position in top form. I’ve got it on good word that there are 2 follow ups coming for this project, and that if things go to plan, you’ll hear your favourite canadian rap show host dropping a verse on the second one.. unless you’re a big fan of RSSmooth or Chaps or somebody. Files have already been sent, a while back. Impressive roll out plan, looking far into the future like he can look far across the prairies. Coach with the clipboard.

Freelance Flint’s voice is distinct in the canadian scene. If you include American rap, sure, he sounds sorta like Danny Brown. That’s not a bad thing. He’s always saying real shit about the hardships he’s seen. I appreciate both those qualities in a rapper so I play his stuff, this time with a single called “Winner’s Circle”.

Mike Shabb has found a lot of success with his sort of off kilter flows. His new album “Hood Olympics” had a few I wanted to play, and still might on further episodes. I went with “Disco Duck” over “Fence”, but you should go listen to that one too. I figured the speed raps and fast tempo beat on DD raised the difficulty level a few notches, so it got the pick, and Mike got my 99 cents.

I’ve had “City Pulse” for a while, and I know it’s a bit of a sharp cut when it drops after Shabbo’s track here. Just wanted to play something talking about the effects of gun violence back to back with the dance track about packing a stick and popping out. Thrust speaks on it.

donSMITH & Asun Eastwood kick off two back to back Asun feature tracks, with the drumless (until I fuck it up), “Bench Press”, followed by “The Bag or the Bullet” by Dnte. Ace says some slick shit on one of these about guys trying to operate as promoters and “get rich off us” in Hip Hop after we can’t make it rapping, or something like that. I’d like to be clear that I fully intend to continue unsuccessfully rapping while I also continue to share music from the best rappers across the country. I always wished there was a weekly show like ATSIC for me to listen to, so I started making it when I had the opportunity to. Now I just buy and promote music because I love it. Asun did send a drop for the show a while back, so I think I get the pass on this one… either way, I’m going to keep promoting his music out here and telling myself he’s talking about all those other fucks.

I’ve had “Ghetto Youth Rise” from Falcon Outlaw and Daniel Son’s “The Tzu Keepers” in the vault for a minute, but it’s still new within a couple months. Dope albums often get overshadowed by the constant flood of new singles each week, but I do my best to give a few spins to the projects I like most so that they have a better chance of charting on the college charts when CKXU airs ATSIC. I think I’ve played at least one other off this one.

MiLKCRATE have a new project, “My Craft", and I played a Gang Starr remix from it. MC always give me opportunity to play legends and call it CanCon, and this one was nice as always. Gots to be the sure shot. I just noticed that there’s a “My Craft II” out now as well, as of Aug 11.

To end out the mix this week, I played the new single for Ol’ Skool & StR8 GUttA’s upcoming release “Westcoast Allstars”. It’s exclusive on Bandcamp for now. I swear I didn’t mean to play the track where Gutta mentions Guru right after gangstar, it just lined up like this randomly. StR8 GUttA sent the whole project over, and I’m going to start leaking songs before the Aug 24 release date on upcoming episodes if I can, because the track list from that project spared no expenses. It’s got features from Snoop, E-40, the Game, Merkules, Crooked I, Ras Kass, WC, Tray Deee, Layzie & Krazy Bone, Jayo Felony, the Dogg Pound, and even Spice 1. I’d guess it’s the most expensive album ever to come out of Edmonton. “We Holdin It Down” is one of the only tracks without a big name cosign. The video is out now. I’ll be talking to these 2 about the album for Fly in Formation coming up in September, probably on the 19. Still hammering the date down.

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Thanks for coming by, and for listening to the show. We’re back next week with Baggylean on the wheels of steel. I’m on Twitch making these things, come by. I’ll post the video from this one below.

There’s audio from the Fly in Formation interview I did last week with Len Bowen on after the music. Check out the full playlist of interviews if you like that kind of thing on video.

Stay Up.

UPCOMING FLY IN FORMATION INTERVIEWS ON TWITCH

Aug 15 - Ol’ Gorilla Bones at 7pm MST

Aug 22 - Epic from Saskatoon Folk Rap Records at 7pm MST

Aug 29 - Arlo Maverick at 7pm MST

Sept 5 - Frost Gamble

Sept 12 - SURPRISE GUEST

Sept 19 - Ol’ Skool & StR8 GUttA