June and Cardo Reunite For The Project of the Summer: ‘Cruise USA’ Mixtape Review

By Carter Fife

Earlier this month San Francisco native Larry June released a mixtape with producer heavyweight Cardo titled Cruise USA. This project is just one of half a dozen records June has released over the past year, including an additional effort with Cardo on the record Game Related, which released this past January. Just in time for summer to begin, Cruise USA is a short and sweet mixtape that sees Cardo producing Bay Area flavored hits for one of the most promising artists active in the area right now. June brings his A-Game as well, providing listeners with a solid 8-tracks that feature Dom Kennedy, Black C, and even June’s own uncle.

Though only 25 minutes long, Cruise USA is a masterclass in combining A-list production and Bay Area energy. June’s charisma and humorous lyrics pair well with Cardo’s upbeat and nostalgic-sounding mixes, making listeners like myself upset that they are stuck inside instead of at a party with this playing. Every audible element oozes a laid-back confidence that is amplified by June’s own sardonic wit - as it is hard not to laugh at tracks called “Green Juice in Dallas”, “Organic Tokens” or “Rolex Truffles” that juxtapose new-era health habits with trapping. Cruise USA is a fun and summery vacation away from the quarantine that has dominated our lives for the past two months, so though it is easy to wish you were anywhere else listening to this record, it is certainly a welcome distraction.

With June and Cardo collaborating together it is hard to pinpoint Cruise USA’s many highlights. The opening song “Green Juice in Dallas” is a bouncy and spacious track with quotable lyrics like “I was just gon’ do one verse, but Cardo, this beat too clean. I got some extra house shoes baby, so take them shoes off your god damn feet (NUMBERS!)”. As of writing this I am still unsure if this project is intentionally funny, or if I am just interpreting Cardo and June’s combined swagger and confidence as some sort of political statement. Maybe the whole record is about the monotony and corniness of the upper-class gentrified suburbia that many parts of San Fransisco and Oakland have turned into over the past few years. Maybe Cruise USA is just a funny project made by two funny and talented guys. No matter their intention, one thing is for certain: this project is really fucking good. 

Another standout moment on the project is the track “Meet Me in Frisco” featuring Black C, which is currently my top contender for song of the year. Larry June meditates on a girl he used to be involved with, and Black C makes a reference to Mac Dre’s iconic track “She Neva Seen” with lyrics about smoking weed, relaxing, and “sipping champagne mimosa with that organic juice”. While they trade lines effortlessly, Cardo’s cathartic and upbeat mix provides the foundation on which June and Black C thrive. June also showcases his versatility on tracks like “Rolex Truffles” and “Organic Love” which are more laid-back and chill - while “Organic Tokens” and “Highway 5 Chronicles” provide based and hyperactive anthems that will be sure to stay in your rotation all summer long. There are even energetic and high-octane bangers like “Orange Juice wit Dom” featuring Dom Kennedy and “Still Learning” with June’s uncle Herm Lewis, both complete with string samples curated by Cardo himself. Though this project is relatively brief, Cruise USA is full of incredibly enjoyable tracks that properly showcase the immense talent of both June and Cardo.

Though it is unfortunate that it may be a while until we can all go out, socialize and blast music together again, Cruise USA will definitely be the soundtrack to my summer. Each of the project’s 8 tracks are equally gratifying and memorable during this time where it seems like every artist has a project to drop. In a perfect world, the mixtape would be a bit longer and feature additional Bay Area guests, but those are small things to criticize when presented with such a great piece of music. If you haven’t checked it out already - give Cruise USA a listen. You won’t regret it. 

Favorite Tracks

Green Juice in Dallas

Meet Me in Frisco

Organic Tokens

Rating: 9

Listen to Cruise USA here:

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The Return of the Raf Simons Raven - Platinum Falcon Vol. 1 EP Review

By Carter Fife

Last Week Oakland’s very own Guapdad 4000 released a small collection of previously released singles into one *cohesive* package: the Platinum Falcon Vol. 1 EP. Clocking in at 18 minutes with 6 tracks (5 of which had already been released over the past few months), this short collection is the first project that Guapdad has released this year, after 2019’s long-awaited Dior Deposit, being all over Dreamville’s ROTD3, and 2017’s Scamboy Color. With his most recent singles nicely bundled together now, it seems like this is a good time to catch up on any you may have missed.

With the humor of Zack Fox / Father sense of humor and the charisma of Vince Staples / Lil B, Guapdad 4000 has quickly made a name for him himself in hip-hop. ‘Platinum Falcon’ is probably one of the best songs to listen to in order to understand what the Bay Area native is all about. Like most Guapdad songs, it is a cleverly written bop featuring an original flow and many humorous bars. While ‘Greedy’ is a bit more aggressive than most tracks on the project, it isn’t until ‘Dolce and Gabbana Dalai Lama’ that the listener is given a rare intimate view of the California M.C. The new track from the collection, ’Trade Places with Them Jeans’ is a similar emotional and slow track with a bit more of an acoustic sound. 

There is not too much to say about these tracks that already hasn’t been said seeing as 5/6 tracks have already been released, but this is truly the time to dive into Guapdad 4000’s discography if you haven’t already. Synthesizing elements of Bay Area music with contemporary trap, hip-hop, and R&B, Guapdad will definitely be a great artist to watch over the next few years. 

Favorite Tracks

Platinum Falcon

Dolce & Gabbana Dalai Lama

Embezzle (feat. Jigga Juice)

Rating: 7

Listen to Platinum Falcon Tape, Vol. 1 here:

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Hook Gets Hyphy on Sophomore Album 'Crashed My Car'

By Kaila Cherry

Taken from Hook’s Twitter, @ilyhook

My admiration for Hook began on Twitter. In late September, a video circulated of a girl with braided buns all over her head, a grey windbreaker,  dark sunglasses, and tennis shoes holding a mic as she stood in front of a green screen. The beat dropped and the scene shifted. Directed and edited by the photographer Hassan, Hook is multiplied, flipped around, and transported to all kinds of places through the magic of editing. All of this occurs while Hooks indignantly raps, “Get yo mans, sis/ He a fan sis/ I’m out of hand, sis/ Get my bands rich.” I was watching the music video for the song “Stand It” the single from the rapper’s then-upcoming EP entitled I Love You, Hook. Her deep voice, repetitive flow, and boisterous lyrics enthralled me. I knew immediately that I loved Hook. 

Music video for “Stand It” Produced by 2thousan9 x swvsh

Hook reached two significant milestones recently. On January 23rd, the young rapper turned 21 years old. On the same day she dropped her second album, Crashed My Car. Crashed My Car is the follow up to Hook’s first album Bully, released in the middle of 2019. Bully showcases Hook as the boss that you don’t want to mess with. She asserts herself as the most powerful entity on the playground, not afraid to get into a fight or like multiple boys at once. On the album, the listener is to leave with the idea that life is a game and Hook is winning. 

Hook maintains the same braggadocious energy on her sophomore project. Crashed My Car is a collaborative album with lyrics by Hook and production from Los Angeles based producer Nedarb. The power of this duo presents itself right from the beginning. The first song on Crashed My Car, “Wanna Be,” sets the chaotic and psychedelic soundscape for the entire album. “Wanna Be” opens with Hook hyperventilating and sniffling as car horns blare. She dials a phone number while cursing. A 911 dispatcher dryly asks Hook what her emergency is. In no time she responds “I fucking just crashed my car!” She mumbles more expletives before the dispatcher asks her where she is located. “Riverside, California” she stutters. The dispatcher asks for her name. “I’m Hook, bitch!” she replies, then laughs in a very kitschy, animated way. The beat trickles in, building on itself slowly. 

The beat does not drop until 50 seconds into the track. After this, the bass gets boosted, the ad libs are everywhere, and punchy, lasar-like sound effects are littered throughout. Hook spits bars about how girls want to be her and men want to date her. In this sense, everyone seems to want a piece of Hook; whether it be her fashion sense, her rap ability, her money, or a combination of all three. Nedarb’s spacey production on the track “Wanna Be” overwhelms the ears with sound. This auditory clustering, however, does not lead to sloppiness or headaches. Instead, the cacophony that Hook and Nedarb create on “Wanna Be” reinforces their experimental take on rap music. In what is perceived to be a very male dominated profession, Hook, not only as a woman but also a performer and a young person, is unlike anyone in the industry today. It is only fitting that she reflects her refreshing uniqueness not only socially but sonically as well. 

Cover art and tracklist for Crashed My Car

What follows “Wanna Be” is an exciting collection of catchy, clever, and hyphy songs that can turn even the most boring of places into a party. Hook’s bashful attitude shines through on the rowdy tracks “Fall in Luh” and “Wcgaf.” “Fall in Luh” creates its chaos less from the beat but from Hook’s own voice. Hook layers her verses over each other coupled with adlibs and  heavy breathing. She embraces her allure on the chorus with the lyrics, “He still fall in love/He still fall in love/I see him every month/But he still fall in love.” In this way, Hook tells us that no one can tie her down, that she is not afraid to play the field just like the boys do. “Wcgaf” is an abbreviation for the phrase “We could give a fuck,” which dominates the chorus. The beat is classically west coast, perfect for the proud Inland Empire native. Hook’s verses are bold. At one point in the track she declares her talent with the lines “You don’t like Hook? Bitch I’m curious/ You don’t like Hook? Bitch are you delirious?” And she’s right. 

Tracks like “Fall in Luh” and “Wcgaf” are supplemented by songs that are more subdued but just as vibrant. “Yes Man” has a melody that sounds like it should be coming out of an ice cream truck. It is sweet and jaunty and pairs well with Hook’s straightforward flow. Even on her calmer tracks Hook does not skimp on the boisterous lyricism, spitting lines like “I think I love my hubby and his best man” and “You a slut too, who you shaming?” In the outro to “Yes Man,” the beat fades out, leaving only the ice cream melody and Hook’s vocals for consumption. In this outro, Hook allows herself to be vulnerable even if just for a single minute. She reflects on a past love, calling him “best friend” and expressing her inability to let him go, to tell him “no.” Amidst all the chaos on Crashed My Car, “Yes Man,” especially during the outro, provides grounding to a project that can at times feel overwhelming and all over the place. 

Crashed My Car is not only strong in regards to Hook’s rap prowess and Nedarb’s slick production but in regards to the features as well. Rappers Almighty Suspect, Lerado, and most notably Zack Fox all lend a verse on tracks across the album. Almighty Suspect matches Hook’s blowhard energy on “Onion,” Lerado keeps it smooth on the spooky track “Awesome,” and Zack Fox brings absolute absurdity to the title track “Crashed My Car.” These features compliment Hook but do not overpower her, a testament to her ability to command the attention of anyone who comes across her music. It is hard not to let a lyric like  “I just sent a dick pic to his main lady/She left me on read now Imma kill myself (fuck!)” (said by Zack Fox, obviously) to outshine you, but Hook doesn't. No matter who else is on her projects, they are her projects. That sort of control of not only an album, but one’s image and artistry, is seldom found in the music industry today. Yet, Hook embodies such capability. 

To begin both a new year and a new decade with an album as fun as Crashed My Car has been absolutely delightful. Hook is such an important emerging artist. She is confident, she speaks her mind, and she talks her shit. She does not care what you think of her. She likes smoking weed and flirting with every cute boy she sees. Hook rejects being put into a box. Hook is not the “female” version of xyz. Hook is the female Hook. Crashed My Car is a reclamation of rap music as a form of expression for female confidence and desire in a time where the role of women in the development of hip hop has been unacknowledged by contemporary rappers and fans alike. Hook is altering the modern image of rap music one crazy, bass boosted, off the wall  track at a time. 

Favorite Tracks:

Wanna Be

Fall in Luh

Boohoo

Rating: 8

Listen to Crashed My Car here:

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