Song You Need: rodneyy’s “fanmail remix” is an anthem for the online generation

The teenage Atlanta rapper and producer shines on a TLC-referencing Drake cover that finds him stretching past his usual mode.

May 25, 2022
Song You Need: rodneyy’s “fanmail remix” is an anthem for the online generation @malxk (Instagram)

The FADER's "Songs You Need" are the tracks we can't stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.

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It wouldn’t be unfair to call rodneyy’s #OGTG a bit of a data dump. A few of the project's 24 tracks feel undercooked, but that’s what makes listening to the teenaged Atlanta rapper and producer so exciting — every song he makes, whether a loosie, mixtape cut, or producer credit is its own experiment that he’ll come back to and tinker with on a new track somewhere down the line.

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While much of #OGTG is finds rodneyy in his usual mode—biting sawtooths and muffled drums—the moments where he stretches his singing voice and feels out a new melody or two are what's kept me listening. Just listen to the way his high-pitched cries can’t even be tamed by autotune on “count up.” At the end of the mixtape, he covers a pair of Drake songs, including “I Get Lonely Too,” nodding to the TLC original in the title. His version is more upbeat, but there’s a frost around his vocals that makes it all sting a little more. It's a brokenhearted anthem for the online generation.

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Song You Need: rodneyy’s “fanmail remix” is an anthem for the online generation