The competition for spots on the FIRE EMOJI playlist felt a little like a Nuclear Arms Race, this past week. I'll begin by stating the obvious, J.I.D. grew before our eyes with a single star-making performance opposite his Dreamville boss J. Cole. For the sake of argumentation, J.I.D is on everyone's radar, but maybe that doesn't sit well the chip on his shoulder. Like a AAA prospect held back against his will, "Off Deez" kind of got the ball rolling ahead of schedule, you might say.
In the spirit of "there's no time like the present," IDK was another rapper to acquit himself quite well. His "Once Upon A Time (Freestyle)" demonstrated that boom bap drum pattern doesn't have to be drab if properly executed. His counterpart on the record, Denzel Curry was in such a "rapping mood" that a sunroof had to be retracted. And it's no secret that XXXTentacion's, a rapper Denzel pretty much revered, will make waves when his posthumous project sometime in the foreseeable future. Fans were treated to the lead single "BAD" this past week.
Other artists that brought wow factor this week include Vince Staples, Saba, Juice WRLD, Mick Jenkins, Smino, Anderson .Paak and Lil Durk, all of whom either dropped full-length projects in recent days or seem liable to fire at any moment. Bright days lay ahead.
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