Kush In My Cologne

Skeme, Pistols and Palm Trees, 2010

Question for today: where do we draw the line between rap and pop? The two have always been in conversation, but I’m starting to get discouraged with rap’s increasing inability to actually sound like rap. Don’t get it twisted, I love throwing Wiz Khalifa or Drake on at a party just to watch the hips wobble, but if I have to hear one more song of some overly-manicured dude harmonizing with himself for four minutes about how many other guys’ girlfriends he’s slept with, I am going to lose it. The genre of rap has always celebrated lyrical creativity, brash delivery, energy, confidence (i.e. swaaaaaag), etc., etc., and frankly, too many of these young guns sound too fucking lazy.

Fortunately, and in large part due to the insane networking skills of my good friend Nick (I see you Deek!), I have been put on to the burgeoning L.A. rap revival. For far too long, the Left Coast has been relatively quiet; partially because of the blogosphere’s de-emphasizing of regional loyalty, and partially because 50 Cent killed our faith in gangsta rap. Whatever. Cali is back, and they are going hard! That shit I can’t stop bumping right now? Skeme’s Pistols & Palm Trees mixtape. While the sound quality is so-so (Skeme, if you ever read this, I’ve been told to pass it on that you should’ve had Glenn at Truth Studios master your tape), the raps are absolutely on point. It’s pretty easy to gather from the choruses, the production, and Skeme’s sense of melody that he has paid attention to the ongoing trends in contemporary rap music, but nowhere on this tape does he pander to the sissies who don’t want their rappers to actually do any rapping. Take “Keep it G,” a bouncy, club-friendly swagfest featuring Young Money’s Tyga that surprises with one of the catchiest choruses EVER about keepin’ it gangster as fuck.

As the title infers, there are dozens of toasts to the good life, but he’s armed at the party. This mixtape is everything I love about West Coast hip hop for that exact reason. It’s got a little bit of danger (“Pistols”), a rough-around-the-edges first impression that comes mostly from Skeme’s intense, almost snarly delivery, but after that it’s all kush smoke, fly girls, and $100 bills (“We Know”). Listen to standout track “Chuck Taylors” and light one up; pure California cool.

- Dylan

Download Pistols and Palm Trees here

Skeme - Chuck Taylors by henryfess