Pill, 4075: The Refill Mixtape
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
- photo Dorothy Hong
Not sure what it says about the rap industry, but we’ve been anticipating this free mixtape more than most actual albums, and that’s a testament to Pill’s power as a rapper. Sure, in a lot of ways he’s a rapper’s rapper—throwing punchlines out faster than we’re able to catch them—but he’s not robotic or boring. He’s not sacrificing charisma to impress with the intricacy of his verses. Plainly put, he’s so clearly having fun that even on the darker moments of this tape (of which there are a lot), the overwhelming impression is that this dude is doing what he’s supposed to be doing.
Download: Pill, 4075: The Refill
Lil Wayne, No Ceilings Mixtape
- story Peter Macia
The New Yorker laid a wreath on rap last week and got an instant and thorough undressing via Das Racist, but an even better defense is No Ceilings, which is so ridiculous, awesome and vital that you’d be really hard-pressed convincing us that Wayne (and rap, by association) isn’t just getting started. Like, has Sasha Frere-Jones not heard “Swag Surfin’“? Wayne sounds like Pearl from 227 on that shit. Is there another genre doing impressions of cranky old sitcom ladies and making it sound like the best idea since bottled beer? Don’t think so. To be fair, Frere-Jones probably wrote that story a while ago, but it’s not like Wayne didn’t help foist Drake and Nikki Minaj on pop this year, Cudi didn’t sell a ton of records with some help from Ratatat and “Empire State of Mind” isn’t just about the new official song of New York City. Blueprint 3 may not have had “A Milli,” but nobody is really depending on Jay-Z to supply #1 jams anymore anyway. We’re just glad new Wayne tapes still feel like a big deal, even if some people don’t care anymore.
Lil Wayne, No Ceilings Mixtape (via 2dopeboyz)
UPDATE: Download the official mixtape with new songs at Dat Piff
