ATSIC S04E27 - SMOOTH

It’s not all aggressive rappity rap on #ATSIC. Sometimes, even often. But not always. This week, we're smoothing things out with an hour's worth of 2023’s best love songs. It's the second one like this I've done this season, so make sure you check out Episode 14 if you need more where this came from.

This week, it’s 100 percent Canadian content, thanks to a Cappadonna feature on a Sonny Hendrixx & J Morris track. The Cappadonna verse is one of those you can buy for a wholesale price just to say you have a song with an OG, but this was one of the better uses of it. It’s as valid of a way to reach a bigger audience as anything else is. The rest of the song carried a lot of weight on this one, and the hook is nicely crafted to work with what Cap was saying. Standing out with one of these kinds of features is a unique challenge, putting artists into competition with every other rapper who’s paid for the verse too. Mostly I don’t include them, but this one made the cut. Might be the second or third track I’ve played with this same Cappa verse, I’d have to do research to know for sure.

There are 2 new ones from K-Riz off his new album “One Way Ticket.” If you like masterfully crafted lyrics and topics people can relate to, you’ll like the project. It’s overly apparent how much passion and effort went into making it, and the singles don’t disappoint. I've had “Inside Your Love” in the library since Episode 420, but never had a place to fit it into a mix that would do it justice. Same with “Less is More.” Nothing but love for K-Riz; we’ve done shows together in the past, and the man has a gift with the pen as well as on stage. Top pick when it comes to impressing Hip Hop and R&B fans. The third single off One Way Ticket is called “Middle Finger You,” and it’s more in line with what I typically play on #ATSIC, so it’ll probably pop up on a playlist soon.

There’s also a pair of songs in the mix this week from Aaro, Vancouver based emcee, singer, and provider of the most-used drop on #ATSIC. He’s got a new one called “Hypnosis” that I liked, but I also had been stashing one he sent over a while back called “Our Glass” that features fellow West Coast crooner Tiago Vasquez. Shouts to artists that send drops and music. I need more of yall saying “coast to coast” & “ DJ Baggylean”. Fire me a voice msg on IG.

Gary Beals, JRDN & KAYO teamed up for “I Like That.” I like this. It’s a good one. Love songs are so popular that there aren't many new ways left to write one, but these are really the cream of the crop. I also feel like there aren’t many new ways to write a review of one, but here we are. There’s artists who write cliched garbage, and then there are artists who work wonders with a cliched concept. These are those latter kind, in my humble opinion.

A couple of lesser-known singer/rappers from Toronto check in—N-Rimes and Jack Craven. N-Rimes' new single “Shameface” caught my ear a couple of weeks back. Jack Craven thinks it's about time on “Overdue.”

Halifax represents with “Mo Money Marseille” from Mo Money Matteo, where he’s catering to the finer sex while delivering bars over a sped-up soul sample. Lxvndr sings a bit on some of her songs, but is known more for her rap prowess, which land her on #ATSIC on a regular basis. “Hurricane Season” from Avery Dakin features Lavy singing the entire track, and it’s a great change up. It was out a while ago too, but playlists like this take a while to put together. Hoping everyone in this paragraph stayed safe through Hurricane Lee this past week. Shift from the 902 brought Kloud N9 and a.M.P.M. along for the infectious “So Bad” as well, brightening the mood out East and keeping things thematically thirsty. There’s also one called “Savior” that’s by an artist named Cherokee who I can’t really find much info on. I think he’s from Halifax or thereabouts, judging by his feature on an album from Kye Clayton earlier this year (and the stats on his Spotify page). I’m practically a detective.

Spiegz is an artist who came through on Twitch chat while I was working on a Making of #ATSIC stream. He found me on TikTok and said he liked what I was trying to do for Canadian Hip Hop. A while later he followed up with a DM on X to make sure I checked out his new “Punk Hazard” project. Artists take note, that’s how you get featured on #ATSIC. Much more effective than promo companies emailing me for you. Seems more genuine. Spiegz is based out in Ottawa and gave me some names to check out from his city as well, since I’m not up on many out that way. Aspects is one of the few I could have named prior, and he’s also featured on the mix with a new one called “Vibe Again” by Dennis Wolfe II. They sing some happy melodies over a gently strummed acoustic guitar.

JRDN’s second appearance on this one is a feature on a new single from BEATCAVE, which as far as I can gather, is a Toronto-based collective that holds events and helps artists link up and further their careers. Their music is now getting wider distribution through something called Believe Canada, but I don’t think that had anything to do with me finding them. That happened the old fashioned way - through collaborating with high-profile artists like Spitty, JRDN, & Kris the $pirit who I was already following.

YSN Fab is a mainstay on these love song-themed #ATSIC mixes, and this one’s no different, with “Paradise” from him and a Brazilian producer named JD on tha Track. Gotta get these summer jams out there before the leaves start to fall.

There’s more from Edmonton to finish things off, with a track from earlier in the summer called “What You Need,” from Danny Cash and Erick Rush. Glad I could finally get it into a mix smoothly. I saw some posts from Erick talking about how much music he has coming up. Here’s hoping it’s all of this high quality.

This episode also includes a Fly In Formation interview that's definitely worth a listen, especially for up-and-coming artists. Arlo Maverick dropped a lot of gems and shared valuable insights. If you enjoy these interviews, join us live on Twitch every Tuesday—tap in.

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