Along with his bro Michael Christmas, Cousin Stizz is leading a new generation of Boston rappers to the promised land. Between his 2015 debut mixtape Suffolk County and its follow up MONDA, Stizz has put together a rock-solid catalog of music that is helping him take his talents from Dorchester's Field's Corner to the rest of the country and beyond.
Shea Serrano is a big fan. You should be too. Swipe through the gallery to listen to 10 essential Cousin Stizz tracks: five from Suffolk County, one loose release, and four from MONDA.
"Fresh Prince"
Cousin Stizz's music has an intangible appeal that's hard to pin down. It just feels right. Maybe it's the way that he delivers each syllable with absolute authority. "I'm the fucking. Fresh. Prince!"
"Shoutout"
The "Shoutout" music video nicely encapsulates Stizz's affable yet fiery disposition, as he smokes blunts and counts cash and rides shotgun as his friend drives a convertible Jeep through Boston. Paired with an easy, glittering beat, it amounts to pure summer nostalgia. “We just wanted to do something cool. We just wanted to show y’all what Boston really was,” Stizz told Noisey of the video. “I’m just showing y’all what’s going on out here. Like that’s just it. Same thing with bars—everything that’s going on is just what it is.”
"Dirty Bands"
On "Dirty Bands," a whistling melody somewhere between a G-funk lead and an Arabian flute floats above a gelatinous bell foundation. Stizz is an able hooksmith and "Dirty Bands" is one of his best. Not only is this hook insanely catchy but it also subtly establishes his credibility. "I don't speak on shit that I don't know/ if I seen gotta let 'em know," Stizz proclaims.
"No Bells"
Boston has always been one of the United States' most provincial cities. This much is apparent in Stizz's xenophobic "No Bells." "Who you know from out here? Your name ain't ringing no bells boy." Dorchester or bust! Ironically, the song has the sort of sleepy, crystalline sound most closely associated with Houston.
"Bonds"
"Bonds" is an unapologetic account of Stizz's days selling weed set to a beat as dreary as the Boston sky in February. He elaborates on the mindset that comes with the territory: a quiet paranoia that must be neutralized by an unwavering confidence. Stizz's love of the money motivates him to keep pushing.
"Super Bowl"
Released at the mid-way point between Suffolk County and MONDA, "Super Bowl" is an ode to Cousin Stizz's work hard, play hard mentality that has gotten him to where he is today. By dropping the song a few days before the AFC Championship Game and he may have jinxed his hometown Patriots, who fell to the Denver Broncos 20-18.
"500 Horses"
Arguably the best Cousin Stizz song to date, "500 Horses" is utterly loaded with pathos. It begins with a trip to the cemetery to visit a fallen homie. By the time the song ends, Stizz has shown himself to be a truly multi-dimensional character: pensive, dark, money-chasing, and utterly confident.
"Gain Green"
In case you haven't noticed yet, Cousin Stizz really loves money. "Gain Green" was originally premiered in May on OVO Sound Radio just moments after Oliver El-Khatib premiered YG's "Why You Always Hatin?"
"Reup & Bake"
The 12/8 beat always poses a tricky problem for rappers. The most successful takedown of a 12/8 beat was probably Jay Z on "My First Song." On "Reup & Bake," Stizz takes a soulful triplet Lakim beat and makes it his bitch.
"Where I Came From"
The rags-to-riches narrative has been well-worn in hip hop, and Cousin Stizz gives it an original spin. Maybe because it's he hails from Dorchester, whose streets are less familiar to hip hop fans than those of New York or Compton. Maybe because it's he is unflinching and personal in painting a portrait of himself and of his city.