Soundcloud has truly changed the structural dichotomy of the rap game before our eyes in the matter of a few years. For very obvious reasons, like streaming and general releases, Soundcloud has altered the way we think about rap music, but in a way, the culture surrounding the music platform and the artists that thrive within it have also created a sort of culture or "wave" that pushed this genre forward in a new and uncharted direction.
For instance, when evaluating an artist like Ski Mask the Slump God, the South Florida MC breaking the internet with his eclectic discography, one can see the profound effect the evolution of Soundcloud Rap has on the industry. Ski Mask the Slump God is literally the personification of the new school. His metaphorical flips of popular culture and visceral and aggressive sound represent more than just a regional phenomenon. Ski Mask is a part of a larger movement of rappers who are vigorously rewriting the rulebook. This guy is literally the personification of the restless youth and unique and stylistically edgy millenial generation that doesn't give a fuck.
So get your speakers ready to bang some of the most ruthless and cutting edge music to date as we explore Ski Mask the Slump God's impressively troublesome discography for this week's essentials pack.
"TAKE A STEP BACK" feat. XXXTENTACION
South Florida is in the midst of a rap revolution and it's 100 percent due to the innovative and captivating performances of the youthful rappers from the region. Guys like Smokepurp, Lil Pump and of course XXXTENTACION and Ski Mask the Slump God are literally tearing down the walls of the traditional structure of the rap industry and infusing it with their own antagonistic and rebellious style.
Ski Mask's XXXTENTACION assisted track "TAKE A STEP BACK" is the perfect example of the approach and foregoing style coming from the region. These two, who met in jail and have been best friends and collaborators ever since, bring a whole new level of turnt to this record. "TAKE A STEP BACK" is more than a flex, it's an overt shove to the chest of the industry. It's like a big "FU" which is very in line with the "IDGAF" aura's these guys exude.
Though it's since been removed from the platform, the track earned over 30 million plays on SoundCloud. This is one of the records that really put Ski Mask on and it's easy to see why because this joint is crazy hype.
"LIFE IS SHORT"
Ski Mask the Slump God has made a name for himself with his elaborately constructed veil of darkness and absurdity his music portrays. Songs like "LIFE IS SHORT" display this sort of dismal cool factor that people can't seem to get enough of and Ski Mask does an incredible job putting bars up over staggering beats like this and elevating that cool factor into the stratosphere.
This record is definitely a winner because of how unique and truly original it is. This track is from Ski Mask's 2016 project VERY RARE LOST FILES.
"DEATH IS LONG"
Another huge factor behind Ski Mask the Slump God's come up is his own inherent ability to sample and subsequently rap over any and everything. Dude has literally sampled video games and movies and 70's hairbands like Van Halen, which rings through loud and clear on the record "DEATH IS LONG" from his 2016 project SLAPS FOR MY DROP-TOP MINI-VAN.
In the first few seconds of the track we can hear the untouched sample of Van Halen's hit "Sweet Victory" just before Ski Mask flips it into a rumbling trap epic and sprinkles it with his notoriously irregular rapid fire flow. Again, this song like much of his catalog has a rather dark subject matter, but somehow, Ski Mask works his magic and delivers a banger with ease on this offering.
Peep the track below and get the full project here if you already haven't.
"LIKE A SOCCER MOM"
If there was anything for Ski Mask the Slump God to prove with the SLAPS FOR MY DROP-TOP MINI-VAN project, he did it with ease across the short four track release because he doesn't falter to prove how individualistic and talented he is. Part of the reason this guy is son interesting to watch and listen to is because his flow is like tap water, once you turn on the faucet it just goes and the track "LIKE A SOCCER MOM" does just that.
While it's quite the interesting mix of subject matter between the James Bond-inspired spy movie sample and numerous lines commemorating this Drop-top Mini-Van, it somehow all works and it's definitely an essential track to help construct the outstanding character Ski Mask possesses.
"BOWSER" feat. XXXTENTACION
Though Ski Mask the Slump God's solo career is currently thriving, he is a part of a larger movement of rappers including XXXTENTACION called Members Only. They recently dropped a compilation tape Members Only, Vol. 1 that flooded the streets with a number of memorable viral hits and "BOWSER" is quite possibly one of the biggest standout tracks from the project.
Everything from the weird vernacular to explicit lyrics about oral sex makes this track very important and essential. Plus, these two cats kill it every time they link up, so here ya go!
"(NEWWORLDORDER)" feat. Lil Tracy
Everything about this record is really on some next level wave swag, so it's definitely fitting that it's titled "(NEWWORLDORDER)."Producers RONNYJ and SLIGHT lace this track with explosive volcanic like heat and Ski Mask the Slump God and Lil Tracy keep the temperature rising on the track as they trade vicious flows with cascading textures, rhythms and melodies.
The muggy and extremely explicit nature of this track is definitely for the culture and in a way is like a blueprint of the Soundcloud rap revolution past, present, and future.
"PSYCHO"
Ski Mask the Slump God is quite possibly one of the wildest rappers to scratch the surface as of late and it's because of songs like "PSYCHO." Because any song an artist asks where the blow is in addition to proclaiming his sexual fantasies for fictional TV character over a Slipknot sample is just outright insane.
At any rate, this man did his thing on this record and if you can get past the initial shock value of his lyrics, you'd probably agree.
"Apple Sauce"
If there is one thing that all hip hop heads and rap aficionados can appreciate, it's definitely a creative delivery and Ski Mask the Slump God truly delivers a creative assault on each and every one of his releases. "Apple Sauce" is literally a verbal masterpiece. Ski Mask takes to this beat with a sort of evil chemist approach has he mixes and matches rhythms and flows coupled with a deranged and energetic delivery.
No matter what, it's hard to not appreciate what Ski Mask does release after release, and "Apple Sauce" is the perfect example to prove the point.
"JustLikeMyPiss" feat. Madeintyo
With the release of his recent project YOUWILLREGRET Ski Mask the Slump God has made his presence in the industry felt tenfold. This mixtape is very evocative of his aesthetic and the larger Soundcloud rap movement. In short, this project bangs and definitely makes noise and it's due to gems like "JustLikeMyPiss" featuring Madeintyo. While the title is anything but appealing, the record itself is definitely really dope and really provides that piercing, aggressive and dominant sound that rules the Soundcloud rap world.
This ladies and gentleman is what innovation and the proverbial "new school" sounds like.
"EverTookATab?"
When Ski Mask the Slump God says "Orlando Brown is my spirit animal" at the beginning of "EverTookATab?" you immediately know it's going to be a very special and wilding out track. Ski Mask spazzes on this something so vicious that it makes up for the fact that it's not two minutes in length.
The best way to sum up this record is as such; short, vivid and essential.
Honorable Mention: "BabyWipe"
With "BabyWipe" as the honorable mention to conclude this feature, one thing needs to be noted, and that is how imperative it is to watch and analyze Ski Mask the Slump God in the years to come. In a way, what this dude does is truly captivating and between his extreme persona and always impressive flow, it will be very interesting to see where he can take his career.
For now though, peep this ultimately spicy record "BabyWipe" and go get that YOUWILLREGRET project now if you already haven't.