If you opened a time portal to Jadakiss’ Kiss Tha Game Goodbye sessions and a handful of Subjxct 5’s beats on AF1MG Live 2oo4, Vol. 3 fell through, they’d fit right in. The Attitude-Era referencing “Edge and Christian PT. II” (co-produced by Lord Unknown) might be the Elizabeth, New Jersey producer’s best one; the drums sputter over beeps and boops that bring to mind turn-of-the-century Swizz Beatz. Importantly, it’s not just straight-up nostalgia: Subjxct adds his own spin with frequent stutters and ticks and a sudden change of pace on the back half. Papo (also out of Elizabeth) catches the groove with ease, like he does often throughout the tape. His flow is unhurried, but you’ll want to follow closely to catch all the fun details, whether he’s comparing himself to a 2000s sports star or dropping his location (“In Bushwick with Reed/On Myrtle we smokin’ big weed”). This is a rapper-producer duo to be excited about.
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Papo2oo4 and more on our Spotify playlist.
