Before he was a Grammy-nominated, OVO-signed sensation, iLoveMakonnen was grinding on the mixtape circuit, never sacrificing his weirdness for power plays. Starting in 2012, his Drink More Water series has been a consistent source of otherworldly jams, and with volume five arriving at the end of the month, we're looking back at highlights from the first four.
Along with his early work with the band Phantom Posse, these early tapes show what Makonnen was capable of on his own before he attracted the attention of seemingly every popping ATL producer for his 2014 self-titled EP. Toying with new wave, trap, bedroom pop and based sounds on the first four Drink More Waters, he helped formulate his current sound while putting out some of the wildest music his city's ever produced.
"Sex, Love & Exctasy" (from Vol. 1)
Later redone for Drink More Water 4 by DJ Spinz (with the word "ecstasy" spelled right this time), this track opens with a line only Makonnen would dream up: "Hey monster, why you killin' those girls? Is it becuase your lonely heart wants to kill the world?" With no beat, the song consists of a swirling, chaotic instrumental and Mak's usual freewheeling style of singing.
"Living On The South Side" (from Vol. 1)
Introducing us to the chunky, lo-fi keyboard tones that iLoveMakonnen tends to favor, this track has him running all over Atlanta to make money, get dank, swag out, and chill. The video is something else, showing Makonnen wearing a camo ski mask and talking into a vintage car phone, he first of many zany visuals he'd give us.
"All On You" (Feat. Robin Romei & Carrie Higgs) (from Vol. 1)
Makonnen's assisted by two dope British musicians on "All On You," a track that wears its new wave influence on its sleeve. It ends up sounding closer to something by an '80s-adoring indie artist like Chromatics or Nicholas Krgovich than to anything we'd usually feature on HNHH, but hey, that's why we love Makonnen.
"In The Bity (Can I Meet Ya)" (from Vol. 2)
Led by a stately piano line, "In The Bity" conjures up a vision of Makonnen sitting in front of a baby grand playing to a nightclub. His vibrato-filled vocals are impassioned, charmingly off-key and above all, entertaining. A jam if there ever was one
"When I Was There" (from Vol. 2)
This is one of the most purely beautiful songs Makonnen's ever crafted, with its music box chimes and jazzy guitar line interweaving in a way that hints that he'd soon leave his D.I.Y. beginnings behind for something much bigger. The song's video was filmed around Barclay's Center in Brooklyn and on a flight, with the clouds providing a nice setting for its outro.
"I'm Grand" (Phantom Power Remix) (from Vol. 2)
The first song on this list that features more rapping than singing, the "I'm Grand" remix balances out the relatively straightforward nature of Makonnen's verses with a shitton of reverb and the russian-style fur hat he wears in the video. Dude always keeps us guessing.
"It's All Love" (from Vol. 3)
Many of Drink More Water 3's best tracks were redone for either the fourth edition or the self-titled EP, so we're including two from it and four from 4. "It's All Love" is brief, feeling almost more like a sketch than a fleshed-out song, but is one of Makonnen's more heartfelt joints.
"Another One" (Feat. Prestley Snipes) (from Vol. 3)
Sounding like a demo version of something Eazy-E or Bones Thugs would've done in the '90s, "Another One" is a surefire banger, especially with Prestley Snipe's Ice JJ Fish-esque outro. The video has Makonnen rolling around in a Corvette. Swag!
"Man Of The Party" (Prod. by Metro Boomin) (from Vol. 4)
At just six tracks long, Drink More Water 4 is pretty much made up entirely of essential cuts. It's where Makonnen first began linking with big-name producers, who helped to add some high-octane heft to his indelible melodies. "Man Of The Party" is a particularly thumping one produced by Metro Boomin, featuring Makonnen in the "your friendly neighborhood drug dealer" mode that he'd continue adopting on tracks from his self-titled EP.
"I Mix My" (from Vol. 4)
This is the rare track on Vol. 4 that's self-produced and still a little lo-fi, and as a result, it's one of the most charming. Somewhat melancholy, "I Mix My" has Makonnen detailing his frequent drug use over some moody guitar chords.
"21st Street" (Prod. by DJ Spinz & Dun Deal) (from Vol. 4)
Another reworked Drink More Water 3 track, this version of "21st Street" is similar to "Living On The South Side" in that it has Makonnen recounting a journey around the city (although this time it sounds like it's NYC). Some funky synths and delicate piano make this one of the finest instrumentals he's ever sung on.
"Hold Up" (Prod. by FKi) (from Vol. 4)
Seemingly directed at a less successful dealer, "Hold Up" is brag-rap, Makonnen style. He certainly does bring us "something new" on this one, but lucky for us, it's an inventive style of music in addition to a new, fire strain of weed.