St. Paul's Taylor J is really hitting his stride right now. He got a lotta love with the Lex Luger-produced "HighLight," released a couple of weeks ago, and he's now back with "Notorious." With "HighLight," Taylor and Luger -- who will soon drop a joint project -- brought forth a chilly trap sound. "Notorious" is a completely different vibe. Taylor is reflective and detailed with his raps, sounding like a classically-trained East Coast emcee. A wistful organ melody wanders around boom-bap drums in the relatively sparse backdrop, which builds an intimacy between Taylor and the listener. "Droppin' ashes on my suede, I'm like fuck it," he raps, "More money, more hate, I'm like fuck it." Delivered with plenty of bite, there's a striking realness to most of these lyrics.
The "Notorious" production comes from AdoTheGod, who previously worked with Taylor on March's "This Year." There's no word as to what project "Notorious" will end up on, though stay on the lookout for Taylor and Luger's The 91 Family. Download Taylor's latest mixtape, February's Before the Wakeup, here.