Dayumn! I hope you haven’t damaged your ears with any Fourth of July antics because some serious tapes have dropped, two of which actually fall more into the category of free albums, and one that is a mixtape in the traditional sense with an excellent idea at the core so obvious it’s incredible nobody has done it before.
The cover blatantly states “This Ain’t No Mixtape” and Yela’s right, this is much more in the vein of his excellent free releases before mountain climbing electric guitar players started messing with his style*. You know, those that actually garnered an audience and created his fanbase. That went global without much of a marketing budget behind it, eventually catching enough attention for a major label to sign and then apparently try to change because… I have no clue why, actually. Labels are crazy I guess? Anyway, welcome back Catfish Billy!
*Not that Radioactive is a bad album, I actually liked it, his prior (free) releases are just better and more consistent.
Troy Barnes Donald Glover Childish Gambino quenches the thirst of his fans with a free release that’ll doubtlessly frustrate Pitchfork to no end without its impossible-to-ignore guest list containing Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Rza, Ghostface, Beck, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Tina Fey. Yes, you read that right.
The third one, like I said, it’s a mix with such excellent idea at the core so obvious it’s incredible nobody has done it before. Just be glad it’s done by somebody who clearly knows what he’s doing. A tip of the hat to Terry Urban and Okayplayer. Have a great weekend y’all, there’s enough tunes to make it one!
