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.)
Larry League - Put To Rest
Fresh off a fistful of collaborations with Lil Yachty, iLoveMakonnen, and Peewee Longway, Atlanta’s Larry League returns to mixtape form with seven tracks’ worth of polished pop mischief. The goofball triumvirate appears to have leveled up since the early-summer release of 3200, though their penchant for dry wit and frothy, Listerine-chill production remains as evident as ever on Put To Rest. Chief lyricist Randy slyly peppers his twangy couplets with offhand references to Josh Peck and Doctor Doofenshmirtz, while Larry Loudpack double-knots them together with laid-back, autotuned hooks atop SenseiATL’s translucent synths and squelching bass lines. Mechanized, digestible trap ecstasy.