“Backyard” -Travi$ Scott

Jams

You’ve heard Travi$ Scott even if you don’t recognize the stylized name. He’s produced on Cruel Summer, Yeezus, Magna Carta Holy Grail, and smaller albums in the past few years. Now he’s moving from behind the scenes again after dropping his second mixtape Days Before Rodeo. “Backyard” lifts the second half of the tape with rag to riches rhymes over a driving bass heavy instrumental. It’s also an example, along with other tracks, of how the XXL Freshmen can adopt different styles (this could’ve been a Kendrick or A$AP song) and flows while keeping a distinct sound. Expect to be hearing more from the Drake approved Scott when he puts out his LP Rodeo later this year.

You can download both of his mixtapes below.

Owl Pharoah 

Days Before Rodeo

“She Only Loves Me When I’m There”-Ball Park Music

Jams

            In contributing to a blog dedicated to showcasing cool music, there’s an inherent impulse to find really great music nobody has ever heard of, which is damn near impossible. There’s a fine line between posting about an on-the-rise band and “Hey check out this Green Day song from 2005.” But Daily Phat Jam isn’t necessarily about discovering new music and proving to the few people that’ll read it that we found it first. It’s just about whatever cool shit you’re currently playing.

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“Paid in Full”-Eric B. & Rakim

Jams

One of the gems of the late 80’s “golden age” of hip-hop, “Paid in Full” is a song about something most fans of the genre can relate to- getting paid. The track itself is a playful ode to the business side of the rap game; a capitalist cypher which tackles an aspect of hip-hop often glamorized by well-off artists and bemoaned by starving producers.  

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“Sophisticated Goon Shit” -Greg Enemy

Jams

Kansas City rapper Greg Enemy took TLC’s Creep and refashioned it into a style all his own. His smooth flow is filled with sneaky wordplay and high brow vista imagery. The song drops references ranging from Sigmund Freud and James Baldwin to pirates and Burberry beatle boots into cohesive bars. It’s easy to hear his influence from Outkast and Tribe Called Quest (and I do mean easy). He’s also been associated with Bear Club Music Group founded by P. Morris. You can download Enemy’s album xtra small here.

“We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue” -Curtis Mayfield

Jams

Many people can’t weave social issues like “team light skin vs team black skin”, street violence, economic empowerment, and racial unity into a lyrically concise six minute song. Well, that’s unless you were one of the leading voices in funk and psychedelic soul during the Black Power Movement. Mayfield’s vocals and words carry a deep conversational tone that leads straight into a DPJ approved percussion solo by Henry Gibson (not the actor, but that would be crazy). The horns, bass lines, and socially conscious lyrics heard throughout Mayfield’s debut album Curtis showed his evolving style from his days as the lead singer of the Impressions. Powerful and poetic, the song elevates above being preachy and instead inspires.

 

“Kid Charlemagne” -Steely Dan

Jams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NVQBenl_Fs

There are songs I listen to because of the way they sound, their rhythms, their musicality, there is something about them that is satisfying on a sonic level. Then there are the songs I listen to because of the lyrics, a compelling story, turns of phrase that make you stop and think.

This Steely Dan song is both.  Even without background knowledge of the song, the words themselves weave a tale that is timeless and grand. You get a sense of danger, from the music and the recalled panic in lyrics.

“Is there gas in car?/Yes there’s gas in caaaaar/I think the people down the hall know who you are”

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