With a daunting cascade of releases spewing from the likes of DatPiff, LiveMixtapes, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud, it can be difficult to keep up with the overbearing yet increasingly vital mixtape game. In this column, we aim to immerse ourselves in this hyper-prolific world and share our favorite releases each month. The focus will primarily be on rap mixtapes — loosely defined here as free (or sometimes free-to-stream) digital releases — but we’ll keep things loose enough to branch out if/when we feel it necessary. (Check out last month’s installment here.)
TREE & I.B.C.L.A.S.S.I.C. - I.B.TREE
Maybe you’ve been fucking with Tree since the Sunday School tapes. Maybe you hopped on board after last year’s Trap Genius. Or maybe you’ve never heard the guy at all. But when he raps “I’ve been in my ways since about 20,” you’d better believe the world-weary determination in his voice. A relentless ambassador for Soul Trap (which could probably be traced as a precursor to the stylings of TLOP or Coloring Book), Tree’s brand of soul chops, trap kits, and an inimitable rasp is downright infectious. I.B.TREE, his latest project with producer and fellow Chicagoan I.B.C.L.A.S.S.I.C., isn’t as cluttered-sounding as Tree’s own work behind the boards, the “impeccably entropic sense of syncopation” switched up for a more traditional approach to beatmaking. Fortunately, I.B.’s beats and Tree’s distinctive voice mesh together so nicely that anyone can jump in. This ain’t a meeting of two unilateral forces; the collaborative spirit of I.B.TREE doles out enough soul for everyone.