Rick Ross, Rome Streetz, Icewear Vezzo, Gangrene, MudBaby Ru, Quantrell

This is Friday to Friday, your weekly rap wrap-up going through our favorite releases in rap and hiphop from Friday, July 17th to Friday, July 24th. My name is Jacob. I'm a mixing and 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, what's up? What's going on? as well as producer and artist manager hailing from Montreal, Canada, Matt Kerier. >> Yo, what's good? So, this week we have releases from Brian Annals and Blockhead, Rick Ross, Rome Streets, Tricky, Dave Blunts, I Swear Vzo, Larry June, Gang Green, Quantrell, Jot Breezy, Mud Baby Rue, Sad Boy, Bubba Sparks, Fox BD, uke, and lastly, Baby Drill. So, let's get into our favorite releases from this week. I'm going to kick it off with Rome Street's Socket to My Pocket. First of all, such a crazy list of producers. He's got joints from Heat Rock, Denny Laflair, Conductor Williams, Ninth Wonder, Alchemist. >> Some legends, man. That belt to ass beat by Conductor. conductor >> like like I conductor has been reaching up into my top top list that I've just held without any changes for the past 5 10 years but this dude conductor sheesh >> yeah he's on a different level for sure >> a thousand% this was a dope this was a dope project dope lyrical content and this is like the second project that I listened from Rome man um this year and this dude is I mean [ __ ] lyrical content originality bro >> for me was the the Lloyd Banks feature like so there's two verses this week that made me laugh for two different reasons. I don't know a Lloyd Banks verse being that good in 2026 just feels funny. I don't know why it it's ridiculous. Like the way he enters the verse, the flow, everything about that verse is just ridiculously good. For a quick second, I thought he was offbeat >> and then realize that he's just doing this really weird thing where he's like he's ending his bars a couple of words earlier. Man, it's it's crazy to see a guy like that putting together a verse like that in in 2026. But all the features on this, man, were like crazy. I think it's the production just brought the best out in everyone. The Westside Gun feature was like it's it's crazy. >> Crazy. >> It was a really really good project. I didn't expect it to like it as much as I did. >> And even to piggyback on your point, I feel like Lloyd Banks is probably the best rapper out of Gunit and one of those guys that kind of just always stuck with it and kept his pen sharp. even the V series he was dropping or the mixtapz he was doing. Um, so I'm glad to see Lloyd Banks back outside in 2026, man. Spinning over some dope [ __ ] >> It's like for me like Lloyd I haven't checked him out in in a while. Like for me literally the only Lloyd Bangs song I know is Hands Up, which is like yo like I've I've listen Yeah. Like I've listened to him here and there but it's always been a bit too like rap for me. But like this I don't know man. I don't know if it's the production. I don't know if it's the the liveless of this album overall. Like even though it is gritty, it didn't feel dark. It it felt very lively, you know? Even though it like like the whole Lloyd Bangs verse is crazy gritty, but it just like the way he was floating. I don't know, man. I It was I'm really really happy. I want to hear more from Rome. I want to hear him put more of those guys on beats and more features like that. Besides the songs we already mentioned, I also love Dreamcatcher, High Speed, and then Tailor Made Wave featuring Ox Omni. Yes, Rome Streets really impressed me with this one and just not only staying consistent, but I think this was like a top tier project of this year. >> Yeah, man. There's no songs that I felt like skipping on there like at all. >> Yep. So, that's Rome Streets with Socket to My Pocket. And we have also Rome Streets featured on Gang Green better than McDonald's which is the Alchemist and Oh no, rapper Oh no, as a duo and then we have Rome Streets featured on the song Gas Factory. So really strong week for Rome Streets to also have a feature on an Alchemist album this week. That's pretty cool. >> Another legend. >> That's right. Gas Factory was a really heat song. But it's a bummer that the conversation around this had to be about the AI cover art because the music is so good. >> It's all people are talking about. >> That's all people are talking about. >> Sucks. >> I mean, when I first saw it, I was on the side of like not thinking that it was. And then Matt was like pointing out specific things. I was like, you know what? You actually swayed me. I I agree. This does seem at least partially run through something. I don't know. But >> it feels like it was like drawn like like cuz there are there are pictures of the original where you see like there's paint marks and everything. It just feels like maybe to touch it up maybe to like cartoonify it prettier. >> Yeah, there was some weird fingers. There was some weird mouths. >> Yeah, the car on the other side has like the front bumper and the back bumper and it's Yeah, it just >> But anyways, yeah, >> I planned to listen to this project, but I didn't get a chance to. It wasn't because of the AI that I didn't. It's just that when I started listening to it, I got interrupted and I just did not get a chance to go back to it. But no, I wasn't going to let the AI stop me from listening to Alchemist. Like Phil, how you feel about AI? But I mean, it's he's not using it in the music like some artists are. So, I'm I'm not going to I'm not going to hang him for that. >> Right. It's still just a regular Alchemist album. It's really crazy good production. A bunch of amazing features. Like my favorites were like St. Knack, Arand Hammer, Alchemist, super dark beats just works so flawlessly for Arman Hammer. And then Mayhem Lauren on Microscopic Matter. Just so many crazy features and good bars. Like such a strong project. >> I'm excited to finish the project. I'm I am going to finish it. And I think Alchemist was spitting on here too. The first track he was um rapping on, if I'm not mistaken, the only record I've heard of Oh no, was the record he did that Dylan produced for with kind of like that cathedral like and then like just how Dylan just flipped that beat was just crazy. It's still one of my favorite beats. So >> I remember his GTA songs I think. Yeah, know had like a couple of GTA songs on GTA 5. Yeah, >> you just got that sound. >> Dope. Yeah, that is Gang Green with Better Than McDonald's. All right, next let's talk about Rick Ross with Set in Stone. This surprised me. The beats are so fire on the whole project, but I'm just not the biggest Rick Ross fan yet. This was like one of my favorite projects from this week. Mahogany Caskets featuring TI dropped a couple months ago, but that one is a banger, man. Just so many crazy beats in Miami. Yeah, Minkx in Miami featuring Max B and French Montana. insane beat as this hard ass hook from Max B. But actually >> I like the Max B hook. >> Yeah, I actually liked it. It's like bad singing. It's time. But it just made it harder. It just made it go harder. It's just even better like because it's kind of bad. >> But that whole song just works. >> It works, man. It works. >> Yeah. But to your point, like same with me. Like the beats on this project were dope. But I'm not a huge Rick Ross fan. I listen to his hits, but it's really just I'm rich. I'm rich. And like the content is just the same over throughout the whole entire album. And >> yeah, >> it's not bad. There's some song There's definitely some songs that I'll run back again. But I will say also the Big X the plug feature was dope, but I just wish he was on a different beat. Like I >> you know what? I didn't like it at first. I was like this is a garage band like type beat. it grows. >> And then I went back and I was like, >> "Yeah, >> no. I'm with Terry." >> It's weird though. It's very weird. >> I was expecting to like the song and I was like, "What is this is just not landing?" And I just didn't end up playlisting that one. >> The guitar sounds like such like a stock plugin like very basic like >> this is the default sound that comes in this plugin. This is like the the demo that you get, you know? >> But yeah, it kind of grew on me. >> It grew on me some too. But the overall thing with it is like I wanted to hear Rick Ross and Big X the plug on a song and it's all like for that beat like it's just all like y'all could have like if he would have did Porsche GT3 or um Chain of Command if he just would use a different beat with Big X like I feel like it could have been it could have been harder. >> Yeah. Even the ones that don't fit like I can I could have pictured him on number 23 which is a lot more like bouncy poppy but like big extras flows right >> and so conspiracy thinking not really conspiracy but whatever but and I don't think this is on Rick Ross' jacket to where he like tries to hold other artists back and I don't think that was the play to hold to hold X back but it's all like you gave him that beat like I feel like you could have and Rick Ross is so good at picking beats he could have made that moment bigger for both of them and I feel like you He probably just like, well, you know, it's my I don't know. That's that's that's my own little side thing that I did seem almost like there. >> I know what you mean. Like, I don't think he held it back, but it did seem like it was a good enough beat instead of making a moment out of it. >> And for me, like I I agree with you guys. The production's really good. >> I've always loved Ross albums. Like to me, I always think of Mastermind as being like just one of the best albums of like in terms of production of that era. I did like the beats on this for the most part, >> but I know he could do better. And I like you guys kind of said like like this did feel a little rushed. It did feel like, hey, look, like we got to gather the best songs we've got. The the second verse of the week that made me laugh was the song Big Fish with Gucci. So Big Fish, I knew from the first 20 seconds I was that song was going to be on repeat for me. I knew it. That's my kind of beat. And and then the Gucci verse comes on and like that was >> it was one of the most flaccid verses I've heard of the year. >> It was just like I Rick Ross was going so hard on it and it's so low toned and like very like like the beat is hard. Rick Ron's going hard and then that's how Gucci enters like enters a verse and like I I'm a Gucci fan like I listen to even post like skinny Gucci fat Gucci I listen to a lot of Gucci that verse >> and it was one of the best beats on the project. I agree. Man, >> man. I It's still on repeat for me and when the verse comes on, I I feel a little >> It's crazy what you said about do you think the beats could have been better? Cuz these beats were outstanding in my opinion. I don't know if they could have been better. >> They're great, but go back to previous Rick Ross albums. Like, not of the last couple of years, but like there's typically his albums are built around I've got good production and an ear for music. And like this was good, don't get me wrong. >> Mhm. But there there was missing a couple of magical beats that he had on previous projects, even just like recent ones like Rather You Than Me, Black Market, which is like 2015. Like there's just more rich sounding, I guess. So I was going to say that's a good point. Um Diamonds Never Die. I think that beat may be one of the closest to like the like to um what's that? Dice Pineapples or um Ashton Martin music. like that type of vi like I'm glad he put that on the album though um because that gave me like classic Rick Ross vibes live band >> he sounds good on that >> yeah like that's his bag and so again like with and with so with Rick Ross this album like it's a Ross project and like if you're a fan of Ross I feel like he delivered I don't think the album was bad or anything like that but it's just like all right it's it's cool like it's it's cool it's not it's not bad I wouldn't tell people not to listen to it I would tell people to Especially the beats cuz I love the beats on this project. But that and then the big X the plug feature just let me I I don't know cuz I'm all like they got a song together. This [ __ ] should be hard and it it just I don't know why they chose that. >> I really like the the Rich the Kids song face down. >> It felt like Rick Ross did a Need to Be on it. >> That was the thing is is it felt like a Rich the Kids song where Rick Ross was just featured for like a quick little eight bars. I was like why is this on Rick's album? >> Yeah. But then I heard the beat. I'm like Rick Ross has an ear at the end of the day. Like I'm saying the productions on this is amazing. I just know there could have been better, but like you hear it on certain beats. Like Phase Down is just like your typical like throwing cash in a club beat. Another song on the Ross project that I kind of felt similarly about was Chain of Command where the song was all about the Nino Breeze verse for me. It's fine for a Rick Ross song, but it's like amazing for a Nino Breeze song. So I playlisted it just for for kind of that half of it. And then the last one I wanted to shout out specifically is Camel Meat. That song has the funniest Dion Cole sample at the start of it. That [ __ ] had me cracking up. Even if you don't like that song, just go listen to the sample at the beginning cuz it's [ __ ] funny. >> That is Rick Ross with Set in Stone. Next, I want to mention the Mud Baby Rue project, Out the Mud. He's a newer artist from Arkansas. Some really great features on here. Keylock on the track out the mud. I also loved GunClass 2 featuring Nardo, Wick, and Gerbo. Super fire beat. Kind of like a chill, more chill beat, but all three rappers attack it in their own way. And then my favorite song on it was 40 Mo Reasons, which was just a dope southern trap beat with this perfect violin line throughout. And then at the very end, he gives Siri a little verse. So that was kind of funny. No, but yeah, the production on this project was very southern trap, but it also had some drill and Detroit influence mixed in. Just sounded very new and interesting. You can have an artist from Arkansas that's kind of borrowing from Memphis flows, but then his production also includes like some drill and some Michigan type stuff. So, really cool blend. Yeah, I liked it. That is Bud Baby Rue without the mud. So, next let's talk about I Swear Vezo with Rich Off Pints 4. I swear VZO Detroit rapper. We've covered quite a lot on the podcast. This was a pretty dope project. >> Yeah, >> I loved 90Day Run and Bean Talk were my favorites on this one, but who are you guys [ __ ] with on this? >> Yeah, I ain't tripping with 42 dog with trap music, drill music. Most of the content is the same, but I really love the push of him talking about them doing things independent. You hear that like across a few of the different tracks them just talking and boasting about, you know, just um coming off being independent, which I'm always, let's scream that to the mountaintop because it's a big accomplishment to come up on your own, put your own money behind it, bet on yourself, and then continue to show and approve. And the only one that I didn't like was Ghetto Thriller, but that'll probably be dope if I was outside in the club or the strip club or something like that and that come on and everybody go crazy. That's probably where. But outside of that, this project was dope. I liked it. I really I really [ __ ] with this one. >> And Ghetto Thriller specifically has that like Satada Baby vibe where it's like the SATA baby beats are always just crazy sounding that way. >> It's a specific taste for sure. >> Yeah. Like at a party, I'm not mad if Ghetto Thriller comes on and then everybody dancing and moving. Yeah. Some vibes. Get some vibes going. >> We also had some other features I'll mention. Payroll Giovani GT Montana 700 strong project from my swear VZO. That's rich off pints for >> Yeah, salute. >> Lastly, I want to talk about Quantrell with Money Changed Me. Quantrell is from South Carolina. Man, I playlisted like over half this album. It was really solid. I'd not heard of Quantrell before this week, but I was super impressed. The very first song, Honey K, I was just like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Who's this?" Cuz, you know, sometimes I just listen through the playlist all the way through and it was just like caught my attention so strongly. But >> Mhm. So many good songs. Uh 22 Challenger, F the Club Up, and Unemployed was kind of like a more relatable love song. So that kind of slows down for a minute. Shows some versatility. >> Okay. >> Then he has It's the Cash Fault featuring OneUp Tropper that we covered a couple months ago. >> Man, Detroit's been having a year. >> Hell yeah, they have. And then lastly, Dollar in a Dream had this dreamy beat and it's just these super simple drums and a lowfi piano. super simple, but it creates a really strong vibe. But I just was super impressed. I'm just like all ears on this guy now. Someone that I'm gonna go back and check out the rest of their catalog now. >> Mhm. >> Same me, too. I had never heard of him and it was literally it was Gav that was like, "Hey, this is Heat." And I was like, "Well, he says it, you know." So, I checked it out and and yeah, same like you just surprised. A lot of the the artists that we've been seeing this year, you can kind of tell that they're trying to like carve their way, create a new sound, create a new lane, and trying to kind of like stand out. And I found that with this, it was just really good hip-hop good, just very full beats, you know, like the whole thing is just hype. And then like you say, yeah, there is like one song that slows down, but for the most part, like it's it's very very uh just banging 808 cuz alternative rap I think is in a good place where there is a lot what we had last week, Khil Blue and stuff like that. There's a lot of people that are carving that kind of lane of sounding different. And so I think it's leaving kind of room for like, hey, know I just I want some of that just hip-hop, you know? I just want some of that >> that that banging stuff, you know, that's not necessarily pure trap, you know? Yeah, it's definitely somewhere in between. >> Mhm. >> Oh, okay. >> And he could he could rap like it's it's flowing. >> Yeah. Even on the songs that I didn't playlist, there was some funny line in there. That [ __ ] was fun. That happened multiple times. >> There was a lot of funny bars like that. And it it reminded me of again like a past era where the Lil Waynees and all those guys and like the two chains that were putting together these really funny bars. Now people kind of like, you know, think it's like bad rapping or whatever. And so this was like with the flowing and everything, but the funny punch lines that are coming in. I was like, "This feels like from 10 years ago, >> but it does still feel like someone modern doing funny punch lines. It doesn't feel like old two chains type punchlines, but yeah, it's it is like funny punchlines in a way that isn't as popular these days with younger rappers." That's a good point. >> I I got to check this out, man. Y'all got me hyped. >> Yeah. No, you're going to you're going to like it. You're going to like it for sure. >> For sure. Yeah. But >> yeah, that's Quantrell with Money Changed Me. That's our favorites for this week. Before we get into releases for next week, let's do plugs. I'm going to shout out the first single that we produced from Frequency Overflow called Neo Geo with rapper Killer Tracks out now on Spotify. And uh I edited Terry's music video for Ego. That'll be out by the time that this episode is out. Ego streaming now. So yeah, that's me. What do you got, Matt? >> Same, man. Social media, you know, music. Uh, been producing. I don't have anything like by name that's out, but uh, but yeah, just been working on on social media and music and stuff like that. >> Matt's so humble. He has We talked about so many crazy ideas that we're working on this week. >> But >> Matt got some [ __ ] going on. Yeah, >> he's wise enough to not let people know until things are far along. So, I respect it better. >> All right. What do you want to collect, Terry? I >> have an upcoming uh video coming out for my single, Ego. Um, been working on an EP that Matt and Jacob has been helping me curate and get through. Jacob's been doing a lot of mixing and mastering on it. So, I'm super excited. That's what a lot of this time of this week has gone to is like getting this project going. So, stay tuned. You can follow me on my socials at Yo Terry V. That's Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok. So your T. I'm sure I'll come up somewhere. >> Good [ __ ] guys. Well, that's plugs. Releases coming up next week. We have releases from Baby Goyard, Cakes, Tequilla, Cypress Hill, Rico Nasty, Shaun Leon, and Yatab Bands coming up next week. So, thank you listeners. You can check us out on our website at f2fpod.com. You can follow the podcast on Instagram, Fridayto podcast. You can save the official Spotify playlist to hear the best releases from each week before the episode comes out. You can find that link in the description. Our intro and outro music by Lunar G. Find him at Proud by Lunar.g. It's the show about Fridays that comes out on a Monday. Join us every Monday to stay in tune with hiphop releases from Friday to Friday. Peace. Peace.