Within the ever-changing landscape of rap music, one sub-genre has emerged triumphant among the crowded landscape in recent years. That subset being Trap music. A combination of the 808 Roland drum, drug trafficking culture and a staunch Southern flare provide the backbone for Trap Music, along with a complex web of checks and balances that have allowed the genre to infiltrate the industry and spread at a fever pitch rate.
One of the major key factors behind the rise of Trap music is
More specifically, TM88, an original member of the 808 Mafia has created quite the name for himself and is constantly credited with pushing the genre forward and helping bring the limelight to Rap superstars like Wocka Flocka, Young Thug and more. TM88, whose real name is Bart Sacii, has been at the forefront of the Trap movement as early as 2010 and has vigorously carved out his own lane with his thunderously swirling lucid productions and earned his status as one of the most elite producers in the industry.
This week's Essentials pack attempts to round up 10 of the most lit and legendary productions from TM88's extensive catalog to shed light on this Southern tastemakers immense reach.
TM88
"Come Wit It"
In addition to his heavy ties with Brick Squad and Wocka Flocka, early on TM88 worked a lot with artists like Gucci Mane, Young Thug and one of the more well-known Atlanta Trap rappers, the late and great Bankroll Fresh. Of course, everyone knows Bankroll's massively popular record "Walked In" however, "Come With It" is arguably just as notable of a song from his discography.
About two years ago Bankroll Fresh had begun to receive some major mainstream appeal as a result of his two major singles "Walked In" and "Come Wit It." While Bankroll Fresh's death is incredibly untimely and unfortunate, the man put on for his city and produced a sound that was equally representative of the streets he grew up in and the budding Trap genre. Additionally, this record is super important to TM88's discography because it represents the original booming production style of the 808 Mafia that soon became popularized and diffused throughout the industry.
"Codeine Crazy"
Another reason for the incredible rise of Trap Music is due to artists like Young Thug, Gucci Mane and Future continuously releasing music. A prime example is with Future's sensational run the last couple years starting with the Beast Mode project. This project really solidified both Future and TM88's status within the game and the streets as artists to keep up with.
"Codeine Crazy" boast ridiculous production laced with hazy drug induced lyrical innuendos that create a trap epic worthy of a hall of fame nomination, and or a slot on this essentials list.
"Bake Sale" Ft. Travi$ Scott
Another gallery yields another banger for TM88. This time though, we see the producer stepping outside his usual arena and teaming up with the King of Pittsburgh Wiz Khalifa and the Mo-City representer Travi$ Scott. This track is significant because it really marks a period in TM88's career timeline where his productions became even higher in demand than ever before, in addition to the beginning of a relationship with Taylor Gang that results in multiple successful collaborative singles and projects including the Wiz Khalifa's 2016 single "Decisions" Taylor Gang Vol. 1 mixtape and the TGOD Mafia: Rude Awakening album.
Plus, "Bake Sale" is just a super lit song and it would be ridiculous it to not appear on this list. Peep the video for the track below along with "Decisions."
"Nothing But Net" Travi$ Scott & Young Thug ft. Partynextdoor
Here's another record that shows TM88 can produce for more than just the Trap rappers of his native region. Even though this record was a loose release along with another couple tracks, it is a strong release and the song was incredibly popular for some time. While Thug and Scott had already collaborated with TM88, Partynextdoor was relatively new to working with the producer, but the results were as fluid as if the two had been working together for eons.
As for the production on this track, the monumental bass of TM88's 808 drums rumble through this record like the December 2006 earthquake in the Indian ocean that caused a tidal wave, much like this track does when it drops and we hear the hook "Nothing but net."
"High Fashion" Travi$ Scott Ft. Future
"High Fashion" and "Nothing But Net" were released within days of each other and it's easy to understand why as both are dumb bangers! This track is similar to the other tracks on the list being that it's a ridiculously hot record, however, the difference with this record is that TM88 had a bit of help from Metro Boomin and WondaGurl.
Either way, this song is fire and definitely deserves a nod on this list.
"Pull Up" Ft. Lil Uzi Vert
This track, in particular, is one of the newer records in TM88's discography. Again, early and successful collaborations like "Bake Sale" made this record and the follow-up project TGOD Mafia: Rude Awakening possible. Also, we begin to see TM88 making a new home of sorts with the Taylor Gang squad as he even teamed up with TGOD's in-house producer Ricky P for this record.
This is definitely an essential track for most any playlist and certainly essential to this list.
"5 Mo" French Montana Ft. Travi$ Scott & Lil Durk
It's pretty obvious that Travi$ Scott and TM88 are frequent collaborators. But this go around two new faces make appearances on the producer's cut. French Montana released "5 Mo" on his Casino Life 2: Brown Bag Legend project. The mixtape was packed with A-list features and production and this record fall nothing short of that description.
La Flame, Montana and Lil Durk kill this joint and it's easy to see why the track is so essential as within the first 30 seconds of the song you are already full-blown head banging to the roaring beat and Travi$ Scott's dope hook.
Peep the track below.
"Get Out The Bed"
Another frequent collaborator of TM88's is 2 Chainz, and rightfully so. Every time these two guys link up the release certified hear and "Get Out The Bed" is no exception.
This one hits hard, like really hard, and we are pretty sure 2 Chainz unlocked another level of lit on this track. On top of that, this track is like a motivation speech with Reverend preaching a forever important sermon "Get out the bed and grind or hustle."
"Not Invited" 2 ChainzÂ
Here is another glorious record from the likes of 2 Chainz and TM88 from the COLLEGROVE collaborative album with 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne. This record has a bit of a different vibe to it and we see TM88 taking steps out of his comfort zone with the heavy use of the organ keyboard on this record, but nonetheless, this track is super dope.
"RaRa" Ft. Lil Uzi Vert
Once again Travi$ Scott and TM88 link up to make musical magic. This time though for an outtake of Travi$ Scott's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight album. Though TM88 has official credits on the album for the track "Coordinate" there is something about the delusional bounce of this track that makes it intoxicating and therefore an essential for this list.
Both tracks are worthy of a spot, so enjoy both "Coordinate" and "RaRa" below.
Honorable Mention "XO TOUR Llif3"
This could quite possibly be the biggest song in TM88's discography, and it's certainly one of the newest. "XO TOUR Llif3" is an absolute earworm that bores itself within the gray matter of your brain and just gets stuck there. Obviously, Lil Uzi Vert killed this track and probably laced it with one of the most memorable lyrics of the year, but the real spotlight on this one goes to TM88 for crafting one of the hottest beats of 2017.
At this point, there are so many producers working with elite level and up and coming artists that it can be hard to assert one's self as an individual among the crowd. For TM88, that isn't a problem though because he has truly set himself apart from the competition with this record.
In conclusion, a job well done by the veteran producer/new age Trap icon TM88.