Ovrkast, Nyota Parker & Tobe Nwigwe

This is Friday to Friday, your weekly rap wrap-up going through our favorite releases in rap and hip-hop from Friday, October 2nd to Friday, October 9th. My name is Jacob. I'm a mixing mastering engineer from California and your host for today, and I have with me artist, producer, and DJ hailing from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Terry V. >> Yo, yo, yo, what's up? >> As well as producer hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Gav aka prodbylooney G. >> What's good? >> Last but not least, we have producer and artist manager hailing from Montreal, Canada, Matt Carrier. >> Yo, what's good? >> Before we get into our picks for this week, here's the full list of artists that dropped projects. We have Bay Relic, Berner, Big Riz, Chase & Status had a some rap features on their project. Chavo, G Raven, Haiti Baby, Joyce Wrice also had a few dope rap features on her project. Kevo Muney, Nebuchaniza, Neota Parker, Overcast, SB11, Souls of Mischief, and 1999 write the future, Tobi Nwigwe, Wedding Crashers, Yester Year ATL, Slump Audios, and RX Peso, and lastly, ZayKairo. >> Busy week. >> We got some uh yeah, we got some spitters this week, too. We should kick it off with Overcast with his project Striking. him earlier in the year on his feature and his featured production on Samara Seng's project, and we also got a feature from her on Knock, which is one of my favorite songs on the project, as well as a feature from Mavi on that one. >> Yeah, they both sounded so good on that, man. >> Yeah, I think Samara smoked it. Samara definitely smoked it. >> I was just happy to see Mavi on something, too, cuz like he's just like one of my favorite [music] low key artists that's been coming up. And um to see him on kind of like a bigger name project like this was dope. >> Speaking of bigger name, Overcast has been in a crazy lawsuit right now over his name sounding too similar to OutKast, which has been a whole [ __ ] ordeal, but this is a really amazing project, so we want to support him in this [ __ ] [ __ ] that he's going through, but this this was really solid project like outside of the outside of all the [ __ ] >> And I think that ironically that gave him probably a lot of new fans. Cuz like I had heard of him before, I personally had never checked him out, and I don't know why. For some reason the arrangement of letters gave me a vibe that never made me want to check him. And then I heard of the lawsuit. I was never into it, and [laughter] then I recently I'm like, "I got to check this guy out." >> Wow. >> And yeah, I'm a fan. >> Yeah. >> I loved this album. I thought the production was really cool. I had no idea what to expect. I I went in going like, "Okay, is this going to sound like OutKast?" Because what even does sound like OutKast other than OutKast, right? So I was like, "What am I What am I expecting?" And it's his own thing completely, nothing to do with OutKast whatsoever. Don't even I don't even know if they realize how many people they've steered Overcast's way, but hey. Thank you, OutKast, for making me an Overcast fan. >> Yeah, that was going to be my point. I hope that the whole fiasco with the name brought like more positive attention cuz I don't know if he stepped on his Well, I don't think he stepped on his wallet cuz just like just like how you were saying, it brought a whole bunch of people over to him, but it's kind of messed up when a when when the lawyers are trying to squash or trying to mess with the the artists's, you know, the artists's grind, especially like a an artist that's coming up or that's bubbling up. But yeah, that that whole situation was crazy um cuz Overcast and OutKast is it's literally not the same. I don't know if they're hung up because k a s t, but that's that's that's that's potatoes. That's like That's small potatoes. >> Yeah. The issue Okay, so just to give the little play-by-play from my understanding, they reached out to him and said, "Hey, it's too similar. Can we agree to something some sort of change?" He then said on an interview that people get their names mixed up. >> Yeah, and I saw that interview. I thought that was crazy. Like And then I started seeing all the [ __ ] about the lawsuit. I was like, "You got to be kidding." I think it's just simply because of the K A S T and that it's three letters. Like O U T K A S T O V R K A S T. >> Oh, man. I I can't >> I just don't you know, like it is shark lawyers kind of thing, you know? Like it's the perfect example of like, "Oh, now the chance to get a bag." >> And it's crazy because it doesn't sound like Andre or Big Boi. Like it's not them. And so that's one of the distinctions I want to make because when I first heard it, you know, people are naturally thinking like, "Well, why are they Why is Outkast And it's not like they haven't been working under that name in a minute and like, you know, Outkast is like what has become more so like a brand." And so But then you look at the other stuff that they have copywritten. Like you can't you can't use Mick Jackson in certain intellectual properties and things like that. Like I don't know. It's That That shit's crazy. But I'm glad we got this project. I think I saved damn near every song off of um off of here. The production was dope. I love this content, too. I think Static is one of my favorites along with Knock with Sampha and um Heroes and Villains, the outro. Yeah, there was there was literally no skips. There were songs that I liked more than others, but there was no skips for me on this project. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, no skips for sure. >> Personal favorites were Heroes and Villains. I thought Free was really, really good, too. And then Act Transit, Let Me Out 'Em. Uh and [snorts] Wash Out. >> that one saved, too. Yeah, Wash Out and Act Transit, Let Me Out 'Em. And then [music] ones I haven't heard mentioned yet, WATA and PAIN. >> Water took me two listens. >> Yeah, oh, same. Water Water was like I I didn't playlist it, and then when I listened back through the album again, I was like, "Oh, you know what? That one just kind of took me a second, but yeah, it's good." >> Yeah. >> The Heroes & Villains I liked. >> Yeah, it was >> Heroes & Villains was one of my favorites. That beat switch comes out of nowhere and just goes to like a like real heavy boom bap feel. I mean, the cover art alone grabbed my attention big time. Like, I really, really liked the art style, like this like sketch drawing kind of deal. >> Yeah. >> Like, it just felt very intentional the way it was put together. >> Mhm. >> Felt very cohesive. A lot of albums we get are just kind of like, "Here's some of my best songs." And like, this one felt very intentional. >> Yeah, this felt like an album, not just some songs. I totally agree. Yeah. >> As in, you can really for me, I was like, is this how every one of his other albums sound like? Like, it sounded so well kind of put together in that way. So, now I'm I'm definitely going to be checking the rest of his albums. >> Listen to um Cas Got Wings. >> I'll check that out. >> Dipper's Joint off of uh Cas Got Wings is what grabbed my attention for for Overcast, but that's 2024, a couple years ago. That's fire. Totally different sounding than Striking, but equally fire. >> Nice. Yeah, I definitely want to check out more of his catalog now after how much I like Striking. Striking was like good enough that I'm like, "I'm an Overcast fan now." >> I'm excited to hear what else comes out, see what features he hops on now that he's got this project out. >> Yeah, or if he's going to do some more production work, too, cuz yeah, he did produce for Sammie RaSinn. >> Mhm. >> You know, he's talented as [ __ ] for sure. >> Yeah. And actually, I think part of what makes him so good at curating and putting an album together is that he is a producer, also. So, he has got a lot more experience than a rapper might, cuz he's worked on finishing a lot more projects than just his own. >> Mhm. >> This just all around, like it it seems like he's very he's a musician like a musician artist not just a rapper, you know, and like I appreciate that a lot. People that know music and know instrumentation like >> [music] >> they tend to be able to put stuff together a little better not every time but there's just a little something else to it. >> Well, speaking of Samara Sin and dope female vocalists, let's move on from Overcast Striking and talk about Naledi Parker with What Is The Timeline. >> Man. >> She is a South African rapper. To tie it back to last week as well, Dio the Outcast is featured on the song Day Shift who we just covered last week. That was a dope feature. On that song in particular, I love the way she just teetered off at the end of her verse. It was cool to just keep it raw like that. >> Yeah. >> It was like we just got to hear her writing process a little bit. It was dope. >> Man, I was not at all disappointed. And I thought it was dope too. It's mostly clean. Like her verses are mostly clean. There's a couple like her features will cost and [ __ ] but like it's not billed as an explicit album or anything and like sometimes I find as stupid as it might sound, I find it hard to listen to stuff that like self-censors a lot of times cuz like it can just kind of come off corny. And she didn't at all. Like it all felt very very genuine and just like felt like she actually had a lot to say which I appreciated a lot. >> Yeah. She had a lot to say about like her spirituality and also like her health. She's talking about like being vegan and stuff. So, it seems like she's just in a really particular mindset and it helps her write amazing music cuz man, she's spitting on this thing. >> Yeah. Going back to 2 weeks ago when we were talking about how there are some artists that can make you think and then there's other artists that you listen to that you can make you feel. I think that was a big thing that landed for me for Timeline was like more so just the soul and the feel of this project. >> Mhm. >> This album like the the beat and the production, like the soulful vibe of it. There's um Spellbound. It reminded me a lot of Dilla, too. Like um that feeling that you get when you listen to like old old Dilla or those old um Slum Village tapes where like the music just taking you just you just you can't help but bob to it. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. And that's the [ __ ] that made this album hit hard. On top of, you know, her vulnerability, speaking on her spirituality and her and her veganism. Like it was a lot of gems on here, too, as well. And you know, a lot of a lot of being yourself and and being accepted or accepting who you are for who you are. Being comfortable in your own skin. >> No synonym. Speaking of what you were saying, Terry, about just like being herself, I think that song No Synonym was all about that. She's saying there's no one like me. There's no synonym to me. >> Yeah. >> Which was That was dope. I like that concept. I've never heard that before. That's That's cool. >> Which I think that's true for a lot of people, but there's so many people that get caught up in trying to emulate or do what everybody else is doing. It's all like, "Nah, like you're created to be you as you are, so be that and own it." >> Mhm. >> Whole project was really well put together, too. And she's indie, too. Like her label, it's Naoito Parker. >> Hey, shout out independent, man. Independent love. >> Yes. >> Also playlisted Say Less and Your You're Welcome. >> Mhm. >> Lots of lots of good [ __ ] on this one, for sure. >> I saved damn near every one on here, too. Probably like two or three I didn't. >> [laughter] >> I saw all the fire emojis. I was like, "I knew this was for Terry, bro." [laughter] Like this is definitely your lane, dog. >> That [ __ ] was yeah, Striking and What Is a Timeline. Um these are the my two favorite of the week. Uh I give the edge to Naoito just because of the vibe. Um I love that I love that I love that song, man. I love the song. >> Excellent. Well, that's Naoito Parker with What Is a Timeline. We were big fans. Let's move on to Tobi Nwigwe with The Bridge and this has been a kind of I would I could say highly anticipated I think project because he hasn't released anything in a while and it was up for pre-save since like February like so early this year. So I've been waiting for this thing for like 8 months. >> [ __ ] fire features too. Like this is built as like a we put some money into this [ __ ] kind of thing, you know, like >> Yes. >> See uh Busta, Malice, Labyrinth, like all all. >> Jay Electronica. >> That feature surprised me the most. That one too. >> He has another song with Paul Wall called Juice. You should check that one out. It's really really good. >> Oh. >> Okay, bet bet bet bet bet bet. >> They work together, yeah. Nah, he's he's good. Every song has its purpose I find. For me like the first three songs are like I've had them on repeat >> I found myself actually digging in more to like the second half. Not that I didn't like the first couple songs, but I was like as the album progressed I got more and more like okay, yeah, no I [ __ ] with this. Like Allah-u-Akbar's went crazy. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> It's just that beat is so nasty with the chant looped in the background. >> Yeah, it was the same for me where he did right up at the Paul Wall feature actually the top shelf 26 and then Allah-u-Akbar's and then Peace and Problems, Perfection. Those four in a row were all saved for me. But they were there was a lot of stuff that I liked that I just didn't love, but >> Yeah. >> it was such a unique album such a unique sound that I was really like enjoyed listening to it >> Yeah. >> multiple times. >> The production on it like it it switched like it had sections to where you get a lot of African drums, a lot of African rhythm and then it goes like to trap and then they just start rapping and then it'll fade out of that and it go back into it. >> So he has a producer and then he produces it 50/50. >> Oh. >> He basically co-produces with with Kizzo, yeah. >> Okay, cool. That makes sense, yeah. But yeah, like you're saying T period, like the African rhythms and then switching into trap from there and like back and forth. And then there's also a lot of really big horn parts. There's like a lot of trumpet parts to accent the hooks like as like a big main feature of the album. It's like almost every song has like a big horn section, which is pretty unique and cool. >> Mhm. >> Like to what you were saying earlier, like when you first was listening to it and it was all I'm like it took me a while to kind of get it, but like the more I played the album, listened to it, like it started to connect. >> Heaven knows me, I feel like it's a great encapsulation of this project. Like you get kind of all these moments of what it sounds like. Like there is the very like big wide sound at the beginning of the song and then Jacob Banks does the hook. Sounds like a country singer doing a hook almost, you know, like there's just this like highlighted moment and then the song comes back in with Malice and they just snapped on this. >> Malice has been outside giving us features, so I'm I'm happy to hear Malice spitting again. >> Yeah. >> Also that what lovers do. >> That's my favorite song on the album. I had to Google what was the sample and I found out there's no sample or if there is, it's not public. >> I love him and Fat going back and forth. Both of the verses talking about, you know, just their journey together, stuff like that. Cuz as a artist, that's what you, you know, I mean, you know, that's what you would want that your that your main lady is also riding with you, but not only like she's holding her own. Fat Fat was going >> [ __ ] man. Every time I hear a Tobe album, I'm always reminded that she might have one of my favorite deliveries in in the game. I don't know how to explain it, but she conveys a certain when she raps or it's like it's just like I believe every single word she's saying, no matter what she's saying. It's just like there's an emotion there. >> I agree. >> good. >> Feel like all of Lock bars highlights that for her big time like >> Yeah, for sure. >> Shoot, Disguise she was going crazy. Still the realist [ __ ] with two X chromosomes. Like she was spazzing, [laughter] bro. Spat was spazzing, bro. Spat's spaz, bro. >> Does she do solo albums? I don't know too much about her. >> believe so, no. But she's always like on every album. >> I hope we get a solo album from her. That'd be fun. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, like she's on every album and she gets to shine on albums, too. Like on his last album she had a song called 54 where like it's basically her own song and it popped it being like it's still a Toby song but it's like it's pretty much her own song. I think he has one verse on it. And it's like she still she she manages to pop on her own. >> Yeah, I wouldn't be mad at it cuz she's I mean she's she's talented and and I think it it really depends on terms of like what she wants to do as an artist. She compliments Toby well cuz even like on Disguise like they both that same flow that he hit in the beginning in his first verse the same one that she but it's it sounds good. Like she has that she has that she has the right voice for that aggression that she's bringing on there um >> Yeah. >> Yeah, man. If she if she does I'm I'd be willing for it but cuz the Queen record with her and Tierra Whack was fire, too. >> Yeah. >> If ever you check out his catalog he's he's from Texas and he shows it on on every album. Like every album has like a you know, there'll be like a Paul Wall, Big K.R.I.T. Like he always kind of brings that but he he still has his own sound. It's not like a Texas sound >> definitely has his own sound, yeah. I didn't pick any Texas. I mean the Paul Wall thing felt random cuz I didn't know it he was from Texas. >> It's it's kind of like the beauty I guess of Toby. It's like it just sounds so not like it's from one place, you know? >> Yeah. >> We didn't talk about the the Busta verse cuz in the vision whenever I see that I hear that song I always picture Busta in the video and how he moves. >> Yeah. >> That Busta verse was good. >> That was a good >> That was a really good one. >> Very first >> to him waiting for him in the first half of his verse like all right, when you know Busta is going to turn up cuz the first the first half of his verse was like chill. I'm all right, all right. Like how Toby is in the aggression, I'm all right, I know it's coming. Then when he dropped it >> Yeah. >> fire. >> Dude. >> [laughter] >> He switched it up quick. >> Yeah. >> But I was going to add to your point, Matt, with his uniqueness, it goes down to his style, his aesthetic, like everything he does is his own. But he he just also talks about just like walking in your purpose, and I think that's that's I mean that's big, you know, as an artist or you know, as a person like to walk in your purpose, but I think he shows be yourself. Like be yourself and create the art that you create because it works. It may not happen fast or it may not happen to like the level that you may dream of, but like keep working at it because him and his him and his lady are able to like I think this is proof of like doing it. >> Yeah, but that's hip hop, man. Like that's it that's that's hip hop, baby. Like create create what you create and and and and just and be damn how people like people going to rock with it. They'll find you. >> Absolutely. And that's what really tied these artists from this week together. Overcast, Neota Parker, and Toby, they all are real artists and really crafted their albums, so it was really cool week for real hip hop and real artists. >> Yep. >> Yeah, no, this project I definitely agree the more I listen to it the more I like find stuff that I like in it and like pick out parts of it that I'm like, oh [ __ ] I missed that. Whether it's bars or production. >> I pretty much didn't check the other projects until like just two three days ago. Like this one was on repeat the entire thing. >> Chop is like I just love chop chop chop chop. I love the [ __ ] the the hook is so great. >> And speaking of that, chop is in 6/8 time, which is I've wanted to point out cuz that's always really interesting to me when hip hop moves into 6/8 time or three 3/4 time. >> I didn't know I knew something was different about it. I just had no idea what it was. I was like >> Yeah. >> Hey. >> I love that chop hook though, too. Chop chop chop I totally had that stuck in my head. >> [laughter] >> Like the voice was like catchy. >> It does have like a very mainstream like digestible pop effect to it. >> Yeah. >> Just enough pop. Just enough. Not too much. >> Well, that's Tobi Nwigwe with The Bridge. That's all our main releases for this week, but let's talk about some honorable mentions. What do you guys got for honorable mentions this week? >> For me, The Clean Getaway by The Souls of Mischief. Just to show some guys who's been doing it for a while some love. I didn't love every song on here. A Plus is doing his thing, but you know, just an honorable mention, man. If you guys are ever a fan, you know, check it out. See if See if you rock with it or not. I like the production a lot more than some of the performance, but um >> Yeah. >> Yeah, I enjoyed it. >> I got to shout out Big Rix, another Detroit artist. Keep the street going. We got one damn near every week, I think, that we've talked about. He's another independent artist, too. He's actually CEO of What is it? Cookie Entertainment, I think. Cookie Music Entertainment. But he had a Babyface Ray feature on here with Peezy. And my god, Hypnotize is the name of that one. That one grabbed my ear immediately, but I got to say my standout for it was Ghetto Musketeer with GranHustle E and ATM LE. Energy and Helluva got together for this one, and this [ __ ] just hit. >> Nice. >> I'll do one. How about The Wedding Crashers with UTD Infinity and Beyond? Never heard Wedding Crashers before, but this production just caught my attention. >> I like the Key feature on it. >> That was one of my favorites. The production on that one was fire. That's what [music] kept me listening. Like I was teetering on the edge of like, okay, do I move on to something else? And it was just like there were moments throughout it production-wise that like I was like, nope, I'll we'll keep going. And plus some of the titles and [ __ ] were good, too. Like Danny DeVito, I was like, I have to hear this. There's a song on here just called Danny DeVito. I've I've got to check this out. >> I think the lyrics were just a little less than memorable. They were definitely serviceable. They weren't bad. There's nothing bad about the rapping. I was just not not really why I was there, to be honest. >> Yeah, they had some pretty tough competition this week. I'll give them that. >> That's the thing, too. Yeah. But, it was really fun. Like, it was it was really fun album. >> I have to agree with that. Uh the last one I'll highlight was Chavo's project. If you like melodic trap at all, if you like Pierre, like you got to listen to this stuff cuz he's got so much Pierre throughout this project, too. This is um yeah, Hood Love a Volume 4 is the name of the project. But, some of the standouts were actually the hooks, which is crazy cuz like he's more like I mean, if you can't tell from the cover, he's like a lean rapper. So, like the bars are real laid-back, like kind of that lazy flow. But, some of the hooks just [ __ ] they were catchy as [ __ ] There were just so many good hooks on this. And like the production, like I said, it was one of my favorite parts of it, but yeah, Chavo with uh Hood Love a Volume 4. >> Nice. That's our honorable mentions, and that is all of our picks for this week. Before we get into releases for next week, let's do plugs. I want to plug the Halloween-themed beat tape that we dropped this week called a monster made these beats volume two. It's a six-song instrumental EP. It's all like Halloween-themed boom bap lo-fi type beats. It's really cool. Check it out. It's perfect for like the Halloween season. You can always find us at frequencyoverflow.com, and follow us at frequencyoverflow on Instagram. Uh yeah, that's me. What do you want to plug, Terry? >> Well, working on a single to release later on this month. There's an EP that I'm now going to be producing coming out planning January, so TBA. But, you can follow me on socials um to listen to new music at yo terry v, and that's that's everywhere. Just plug it in, I'll pop up. >> Dope. What about you, Gav? What do you What do you want to plug? >> I'm going through uh some studio reconfigurations with the with the speakers. I had a monitor die on me. Um so just been working on getting some replacements and got a new interface, I think I mentioned. So, I've been working on putting together beat tapes still. Um getting more active on socials and stuff. Just starting to kind of like tag more singles and like upload more stuff. Putting together some plans, just finishing off some beats that I've been working on, doing some arrangements and mixes. And that's mostly what I've been doing, but follow me prodbylooner.g like Terry said. I just punch it in. I I'll show up on pretty much everything. >> Dope. What you got, Matt? >> You can follow me at uh svrcarrier. Check out my artist Lucius B. Thundercat. Uh we dropped the song last month and we're going to drop a new one in uh in a week. Uh other than that, last week just been working on just encouraging everyone around me to just keep working. Everyone's grinding really hard and so just been you know, trying to keep this this this momentum and boat going of just working and grinding. And yeah, that's about it. >> Excellent. Well, that is our plugs for this week. Releases coming out next week. We have Kill Priest. Well, that's our show. You can save the official Spotify playlist to hear the releases from each week. The playlist is updated weekly with all the newest projects. That link is in the description and you can see all our content on our website f2fpod.com. That's the number two. Our intro and outro music by looner.g. Find him at prodbylooner.g. Thank you for listening to Friday to Friday, the show about Fridays that comes out on a Monday. Join us every Monday to stay in tune with hip hop releases from Friday to Friday. Peace. >> Peace. >> Peace.