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.)
Boosie Badazz - Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas
“Cancer couldn’t kill me/ Bullets missed at close range/ Prosecutors couldn’t get me/They was tellin’ hoes name,” Boosie raps on “Angels All Over Me.” At the close of a marquee year for a one-of-a-kind performer who overcame both cancer and the United States criminal justice system, the Boosie recently christened Badazz is feeling festive, and we should be equal parts thankful and fearful. Where that slow, snarling, and scattershot flow returns alongside his familiar lyrical sensibilities, both hit with greater impact thanks to some extremely crisp production. Particularly in the eschewing of rhythmic convention on tracks like “Big Shot” and the time signature-bending “PWA,” you can hear Boosie channeling his most unique strengths with more focus than ever. Straddling as always the line between piety and profanity, the Bible piece-sporting Badazz has served a potent batch of beautiful contradiction like a Christmas present the world wanted but didn’t ask for.