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<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3706010832/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://finals.bandcamp.com/album/finals-friends-rumored-to-be-among-the-best">Finals + Friends: Rumored To Be Among The Best by finals</a></iframe>

FINALS.BLOG (2020-present) presents “Rumored To Be Among The Best” by Finals + Friends, a compilation of original exclusives by friends of the blog, out June 5, 2025. The single is out now on bandcamp, [soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/friendsfinals/finals-friends-stas-thee-boss) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hcR-C4DCiU), "Pretty Boy In Spring Colors" by Stas THEE Boss. 

Curated by Finals, the comp is 11 tracks of unique/elite music from the American underground. 

Thank you to the artists for the music. Thank you Suspence for the idea. And thank you Suspence and Gabe Weisbuch for the cover art.

Questions or comments? Hit rumoredtobeamongthebest@gmail.com

Liner notes:

**Suspence - BEAT 19**

Longtime Seattle-based DJ and producer Suspence came up with the name “Finals,” and contributed half our 2020 mag which we dropped when the blog launched. While musically active in PNW clubs and in rap groups for decades, he has recorded only one (1) mix, a masterful edition of KEXP’s Midnight in a Perfect World, and has almost no solo music out.

**Khris P - HUNNA ROUND prod Gary**

Originally from St. Louis and now living in Tacoma, WA, Khris P first came to my attention as a producer and rapper in the now broken-up Tacoma group ILLFIGHTYOU in the early 2010s. Lately he has been focused on rapping. I produced an EP with Khris and his IFY bandmate, Glenn, in 2022, called GIMME INDIE ROCK, and since then, Khris has been crazy prolific, dropping six albums largely produced by a local enigma known only as Gary. 

**Stas THEE Boss - Pretty Boy In Spring Colors** 

Stasia Irons does it all. She’s a producer, rapper, singer, organizer, writer, recently a movie scorer (dream hampton’s It Was All a Dream), and an all-time performer going back to the mid-2000s. Currently based in Portland, OR, you might know her from her involvement in the Black Constellation crew, her DJ collective Sway & Swoon, her party Latifah, or from the now defunct group THEESatisfaction.

**10.4 Rog - grownups** 

Hailing from Renton, WA, and now located in Los Angeles, the producer, multi instrumentalist, and video director 10.4 Rog has built a cult following for his Dilla-esque rap and R&B production, differentiating himself from everyone else in that lane with his superior feel, and skills as a piano player. 

**Laron - dance dance!** 

Brooklyn producer Laron is mind-blowingly good at a full range of styles, with a discography including albums with very different MCs Jay Critch and Jadasea, credits on projects by MIKE and maassai, and beat tapes that call to mind the experimentalism of artists like Madlib, and Laron’s close friend and collaborator Tony Seltzer. 

**zayALLCAPS - popshuvit!**

Producer, rapper, singer, and indie label entrepreneur zayALLCAPS makes songs about love, anxiety, manic episodes, being validated by the homies, and striving for excellence, from his adopted hometown of LA. We love the Sacramento area native’s creative chord progressions, camouflaged samples, distinct “newstalgia,” and writing from the heart.

**Tomu DJ and YoungLove Erix - no service (demo)** 

The Bay Area’s own Tomu DJ produces all types of  music for the club or the headphone, both solo and with other producers (like kimdollars1), as well as with vocalists who might talk or rap on the track (like YoungLove Erix). She also makes sublime R&B club edits, organizes the West Oakland Music Festival, and is an adventurous DJ in an open-format style, sometimes with a reckless disregard for what’s deemed cool or tasteful. She makes that shit work.

**kimdollars1 - the ecstasy of communication** 

After Finals interviewed West Manhattan born, Austin, TX based producer kimdollars1 aka DJ kimila a few years ago, she started writing and contributing DJ mixes to the Finals universe, flexing her deep knowledge of rap, and gaining skills as an interviewer. We are grateful to publish her work and remain massive fans of her beats and mixes. 

**Dear Nora - sinaloan restaurant (Finals remix)**

Dear Nora, the morphing solo and group project led by songwriter, guitarist, and singer Katy Davidson, perfected PNW indie rock around the turn of the millennium. Now splitting time between the California desert and Brooklyn, their guitar music has grown more elegant, and more gently transportive.

**fish narc and Winston Hightower - odd save - snip**

fish narc is a living bridge between 2010s DIY spaces and soundcloud rap, whose musical arc has gone from hyper-aware PNW rock to producing for Lil Peep (RIP) and now back again to his roots as a guitar player, singer, and bandleader. Winston Hightower is his label mate on K Records, aka the label Kurt Cobain had tatted.

**Matson - Tele**

I made this short instrumental with my Telecaster during the height of COVID quarantine times, which is when we launched Finals. Listening back reminds me that end times can also be beginning times, and especially when we are scared about the future it can be therapeutic to sit down and try to calm yourself by creating something. I am struck by how this song reflects none of the stress and anxiety that overwhelmed me when I made it. 



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Finals and Friends: Rumored To Be Among The Best, Liner Notes

MIKE_fan2025

the irving plaza GA tix sold out ($40ish) and the $76 are just the nice balcony / table tix

Finals

Thank you MIKE_fan2025. I didn’t know that. That sounds more in line with his Euro shows which I heard were more like $30. I think a $76 seated fancy ticket is worth it and a $40 GA ticket is def worth it. I still think we are at a good point to reflect on MIKE’s career, as a grassroots guy who also does a free fest and also moderately/moderate-high priced shows powered by LiveNation powered by Verizon 5G. He has a foot in the underground and the other, not exactly in the mainstream, but in an echelon that can actually financially support his career and is more mass-focused. I think he’s balancing it well. But I appreciate the clarification and regret making it sound like the basic price MIKE ticket was $76, which is genuinely what I thought was the case, but as you point out, is not. 

totally agree — doesn’t discredit your points here at all, especially as ticket prices continue to soar. as i would also pay $76 for whatever ticket here and feel it’s worth it 

enjoyed this read, thanks for writing it

![10k-global-x-corteiz-for-the-new-drop-from-the-brand-v0-jgvki332btxe1.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/10k_global_x_corteiz_for_the_new_drop_from_the_brand_v0_jgvki332btxe1_08fcd34a66.png)

*10k for Corteiz*

First, a few hyperlinks for that ass. Let me point you to the three interviews we've posted on Finals so far in 2025: 

- [Goya Gumbani by me](https://finals.blog/posts/The-Goya-Gumbani-Interview)
- [Laron by kimdollars1](https://finals.blog/posts/The-Laron-Interview)
- [fish narc by Nick Viagas](https://finals.blog/posts/The-fish-narc-Interview)

Also, if you can stomach a white guy with a beard on a podcast in 2025, do [check out my first pod, with Helio-Tropes](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zNbW0AewP0tqdRD4Lx68j?si=3dfdb0d7a0b346e6), where we talk about Jay Critch and Laron's aoty "Plus Ultra" and I share more music that I'm into.

And please be aware of two upcoming things in Finals' world: we are throwing a show at CWW Radio Shop on Sunday, June 1 with Laron, Tomu DJ, and myself DJing. The name of the night is Generator, which Laron came up with, and I heartily endorse because it sounds cool, and also because according to Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, "generativity" is what I should be aiming for in my middle age. 

And now, a few words on the young venerable institution that is MIKE.  

When I moved to NY in late 2016, solo MIKE shows were free or cheap. Eight years later, it costs [damn near a $100 with fees to see him rock](https://www.livenation.com/event/k7v1AkA3PyZA2dd1k/mike). 

In that span, he evolved considerably, elaborating his expansive vision of post-Earl, post-SoundCloud rap, never falling off flow wise or lyrically, A&Ring the underground for the absolute best production (JWords, Anycia Kym, Surf Gang, #stepTeam, Tony Seltzer, Laron, I could go on). I’ve seen him mature, master his craft, never rap on his vocals at the show, and give back to his community. 10k is the shit. Innovating rap. They’ll probably all perform at the NY show. It is time to reflect on the era of MIKE. 

And so yeah, $76 concert tickets at Irving Plaza? It’s worth it for the effort, talent, quality and years of pushing the artform.

Of course, being that he is trying to eat and also is a man of the people, you can still see MIKE for [free this summer in Brooklyn, at Young World, the annual fest he curates in HVK](https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/mikes-young-world-v-roc-marciano-the-alchemist-and-more/). I wouldn't be surprised if at least some fans fly out for it, spending Coachella prices on airfare and their trip. It is my pick for Brooklyn summer’s coolest rap party and most elite day of fits. A feat of culture contribution to New York, deserving of its own DVD -- something that seems like it will also probably happen, given the dovetailing of MIKE's career with [newstalgia](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/papo2oo4-subjxct-5-papaholic-vol-1/).  

Anyway, yeah, for the Irving Plaza show you are gonna have to pay. And things are somewhat different now, for us MIKE fans. But music, broadly speaking, has been here so many times before: the thing that used to be for the few is now for the many. Tale as old as time. So why shouldn’t MIKE tax? And is $76 really taxing when you’re witnessing a generational run? Some lames will creep in with the wave of it all (like the kids playing chess for views in the crowd in Italy, which he rightly clowned), but what do you want these artists to do, starve, just because authenticity happens to be "in"?? Nah. 

MIKE is playing his leadership position to the fullest, the music is speaking for itself, and he’s still giving 100% on these stages. As long as that’s the case don’t be surprised if next year it’s three figures to see that rapper with the ill beats and hypnotic slow-flow do his thing. He's a primary color for the New York underground and, now, the rap world at large. 

MIKE Tix Cost $76

Dom P 

Dope interview dope spot dope interviewer 


Finals 

![photo-output.JPEG](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/photo_output_c6ea4a681c.JPEG)

*All photos by Atoosa Moinzadeh*

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You maybe know Goya Gumbani from his [NTS Radio show](https://www.nts.live/artists/105610-goya-gumbani) running for the past 4-5 years, or maybe you know him from the many fashion brands’ lookbooks he’s modeled for. Or maybe he’s in your creative constellation in Brooklyn or London, his dual homes.  

If you don’t know him, now’s the perfect time to get familiar, with his proper debut album Warlord of the Weejuns having just dropped on Ghostly, a 2025 continuation of the jazz rap of the ‘90s that was swirling when he was a kid. After years of one-off songs, guest features, and collaborating on joint projects with other artists, this is his own vision of smooth, Negroni-sipping, loafer-wearing hip-hop. 

We chatted at CWW Radio Shop record store/event space in Crown Heights about his new album, which features a cast of friends, like Ya Ya Bey, Joe Armon-Jones, Swarvy, lojii, Franky Bones, and hella others, and also about loafers and how they affect they way you move through the world, and the concept of embodying one's art. 

--

**I was just saying, we’re at a bar right now, and you’re drinking liquor. Can you think of a few times alcohol shows up on the album?**

Aight. Yeah. On “Lizards/Dancing With the Devil,” one of the lines is like “I need the elixir, and a mixer, and a twist of fruit.” 

**You got a skit in there where they’re talking about “top shelf” something or other.** 

Negroni. They’re talking about Negroni. That’s my drink. I’m in my 30s now, i’m not drinking for sport, I’m drinking for leisure at the end of a crazy day or week. And I like something that you’re not gonna drink mad quick. With each sip, it hits a little different than the last one. Powerful drink. Not for the faint hearted. 

**Congrats on the album, we’re talking on album release day. It’s a very collaborative album, although the spotlight is on you and it’s your proper debut. How many people was the core group who worked on the album?**

There was a lot of collaborations on the album. When I was starting, I was like it’s my first one on Ghostly, I was like if i could ever do anything I wanted, I could do it now. But then I started to realize, there was no connection between me and some of these people I wanted to work with. There was no musical connection. I feel like, with music, you meet artists that understand that we serve music. And then you meet artists where, this is about me, or about something that’s not really about the music. So, when I started I was like I wanna work with all these people, but I wasn’t getting the love for the music. 

**You had some missed connections?**

It was more like, now wasn’t the time. They had their vision and I had mine. But I wanted people who really cared about making something that would stand the test of time, and be as motivational and inspirational in 100 years as it is now. And the first few people I reached out, that wasn’t really their vibe. It was more like, this is my fee, to even think about this. And I was like, bruh, I don’t even know you. I wanna sit down with you for six hours, and like…

**It was too industry.** 

It was quite industry. So I went with the type of collaboration I did because of the sense of community around me. I worked with the people who really fucked with me. I was like, I wanna work with you but I’m directing this whole thing, and they were like we wanna get on board. We wanna help you get your vision out. We wanna lend our creative vision to yours. In a way that’s about more than streaming, or plays, but more like us serving the music. 

**It sounds to me like you went looking for something, and then when it didn’t work out, you let it come to you. Is that true?**

Yeah. I let it come to me. And I looked more inwards than outwards. I was like, I’m really grateful for what’s going on around me. When you’re in a world, it’s sometimes difficult to appreciate it. You go looking far and wide, and it’s right on your doorstep.

**Would you say everyone on the album is the homie?**

Every single person. We’ve all sat for 8 hours, made music, ate food, and watched YouTube, and Netflix, and Tubi…

**Not Tubi.** 

Or I could go as far back as Limewire. 

**Did you come to everyone with a vision?**

What I did was, I got into this practice. I got this from D’Angelo, where he would go to the studio and listen to music and watch videos. 

**Oh like with Questlove, watching Prince videos.** 

Exactly, the Prince shit. So I was going to mad people’s houses and studios and the first thing we would talk about is, have you heard this? What you been listening to? I would be like, this is the vibe. I was playing people, Brown Sugar, Voodoo, LIke Water for Chocolate, the Last Poets’ first album, Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson’s album, and Miles Davis – Miles Ahead, On the Corner, Shades of Blue and Sketches of Spain. Before I would start the session that’s what we would listen to. 

![Screen Shot 2025-03-31 at 7.02.44 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2025_03_31_at_7_02_44_AM_6cd43ae6b1.png)

**Was it like a test? Like if you fuck with this music, you’re worthy?**

No, because they knew all that music. They already made jazz, and love hip-hop, and love reggae. And there was a lot of understanding of music – I’m kind of new to that. 

**It’s a very live band-y album. Who’s performing on Tuesday in New York?**

This kid Buzz on drums, Clint on piano, and a bass player named Evan, played a lot of stuff with Ya Ya Bey. All New York people. Evan is from Queens, Clint and Buzz live in Brooklyn. 

**What iterations have you done on stage?**

I’ve done three piece band, four piece band, five piece band. I’ve done me and a DJ. And me solo, me, and SP, and a Kaos pad. Kind of an artistic thing. A little more than a rap show. With this album, I knew I wanted to do more of a band thing. And I wanted to go outside the box, and make it from scratch. And any band, I wanted them to be able to musically read it, and also feel the groove. 

**So when you play in London, will you play with the people you wrote it with?**

Some of them, there’s a guy who helped me weave it together. Franky Bones. He produced the second song, the second to last song, and the song right in the middle. So when you listen to those three songs, the same chord progression runs through all of them. “Beautiful BLACK,” “Uptown Mami Skit,” and “Mind, Body, Spirit” with Seafood Sam. 

**“Uptown Mami Skit” she’s like what the fuck is a Weejun?**

She’s from uptown, ha ha. Shout out Liz. 

**They wear loafers in Harlem though.** 

They do, they do. Her pops got loafers, I’ll tell you that much. 

**How crazy is that, you named your album after a loafer. Are you wearing them right now?**

I am indeed, I would be so off-brand if I wasn’t. 

**Are those Gucci?**

No Maharishi with GH Bass, army camo embossed. Under the right light, it’s a movie. 

**Is it a corporate sponsorship?**

Hell no.

**That’s so much free press. **

I mean, fuck them. Ha ha. But the Weejun, is pretty much the penny loafer.

**They invented it?**

Nah they didn’t invent it. The Weejun was called the Weejun on some, it was like a fisherman’s shoe. A Norwegian fisherman’s shoe. The guy who cleaned the boats would wear like, a moccasin. And they (GH Bass) spoke to some guy and were like, can you turn it into a leather version? For like college n&&&as? It was like for n&&&as who went to Yale. It was made out of rubber before. It was a rubber loafer. It was super comfortable. 

**They should retro the rubber loafer and put you as the creative director.** 

I’m about to do my own loafer soon. I’m gonna make one loafer. And kind of wrap up this whole album. At like the end. One of my homies got a loafer brand, they’re called Horatio, [Horatio London](https://www.horatio-london.com/). And they kind of put me onto loafers. The first pair of loafers they gave me, I’m trying to do a version of that, it’s a croc skin horsebit. 

**So you can’t put the penny in it.** 

You can’t put the penny in it, but they made these versions with the leather strap and then the buckle over it. But we’ll see. It’s probably dropping in summertime, at the end of this album campaign. 

**You gotta drop at the end of summer, for back to school. Back to college.** 

Facts!

**I used to want to be a shoe designer when I was a kid. Did you ever go to fashion school?**

No, but one of my ex ex ex ex girlfriends was a shoe designer and she put me onto how a shoe is made. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of moving parts. She lowkey put me on. She was making shoes when I was just getting into loafers. I was like, this is crazy. She does music shit now. But she was making shoes from scratch. So I learned about lasts, the thing that shapes the shoe, everything. She’s a don for that. She had amazing taste in shoes. I mean, her sneaker game was trash, no disrespect. But she could make a good women’s shoe. And she made a few loafers, too. 

**Are you from Flatbush?**

I’m from Canarsie. 

**And how old are you?**

Thirty-four. 

**So you grew up mostly in the ‘90s. What’s like a classic Brooklyn shoe to you?**

Those Nike boots. Goadome. 

**They’re hard. And they speak to the fact that in New York, you’re often urban hiking. The loafer, on the other hand, screams to me “indoor spaces.”**

Yeah, or like, I’m reckless. I do the most in my loafers. I do the extra shit. At a festival for four days camping. 

**Do you have special calluses on your foot?**

No. I have every type of loafer, for one. The hiking type, the lug sole, the Vibram sole. But nah I just, I wear good socks…I believe in good socks. And never really rushing, bro. Any time I fuck my feet up in loafers, it’s because I’m running crazy, OD running.

**Do you think the loafer changes the speed you move through life?**

You just move a little more like, light. Light on your feet, but elegantly cruising. 

**People say in New York your coat is your car. But I think your shoes are your car. To the point where you move fast or slow, navigating the room, or the way you pivot when you turn a corner, whether it’s a loose ass Timberland, or a svelte loafer…you’re gonna take up space a lot differently in your environment. That’s what I like about style. How it’s about your vibe. I think fashion is for the birds, but style is eternal, and how you live with it. Fashion is for the birds, it’s fatbphobic, and antiblack, and wasteful, and run by white men.**   

Facts. When I think of fashion, I think of like, style is for leaders. Fashion is for those that don’t care that much and kind of go with the flow.

**So true. Fashion is for people with “taste” but actually the people with the least taste who are the biggest partakers. I might edit this out, but I’m doing an event here Sunday, and the homie invited the other homie to come out, and he was like “nah, I don’t really like DJ sets, I like the algorithm.” And here we are at a record store, and some people, who ostensibly are people of taste, would never even come here.** 

There’s people that like, don’t really care about going and seeking out some shit. They just like, OK this is what’s current, I need to be in this mindframe. And there’s people who are like, fuck that. 


![goya5.JPEG](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/goya5_d33872d44c.JPEG)

**And step outside the trend cycle, and to a degree the marketplace.** 

The box. That’s kind of what the album…it’s some shit I walk with anyway. It’s what I stand for. But when I was making it, I wasn’t thinking about connecting with any group of people. It’s beautiful that it does, and a reminder of what art can do, among people. When you put everything into it honestly and wholeheartedly, it can connect with the next individual. 

**I feel the stronger you express yourself, the more contagious your product is. And you express yourself through style, and music, and curation – overused word, and so is creative direction, but you do that. And compared to a lot of musicians, it’s in you. I can tell that, from how you made the album with friends, you can’t fake that, you made those friends based on your personality. You’re coming from a place of like, genuineness, consistently. You weren’t a different guy when we shot your photo for this interview. Same guy.** 

Right, you gotta get into character. Nah. It’s really am embodiment of self. 

**You should be so grateful for that, because a lot of people don’t have a personality.** 

Ha ha. Facts. And knowing all the people on the album, when I step back, I feel really grateful. We have a genuine relationship that’s not even musical…it’s like, what do you wanna eat? Are you hungry? Or speaking on some deeper shit. The music is the canvas, for after that, it’s an energy that you get from the people you admire and care for. 

**I want my daughter to have this quality. Putting out a vibe and people just want to get down with you. That’s dope. It’s probably what makes you have friends, in the place you were born, and in London, who helped you make your album. You have a quality that is prosocial. And I feel like America is so antisocial. So you gotta celebrate when people are open to what could happen between us, you know…maybe something good. Do you think you’re optimistic, as a person?****

I lead with positivity. I’m open-minded. And if you do that, you’ll always grow. 

**A lot of people don’t want to grow, though.** 

More the understanding of what growth is, gets misconstrued. It’s not always linear. 

**Maybe people do want to grow. Attitudes are changing around mental health. Maybe people want to turn inward and be learners.** 

Now is a different time. It’s easy to be antisocial, and a recluse. When I was growing up, you couldn’t really be that. There was no computer in your house. When I grew up Playstation 1 came out. Prior to that it was about mingling, outside. The computer was the family computer, playing solitaire. You weren’t really there. You wanted to be outside. I used to fiend for going outside. When I was grounded, I couldn’t go outside. You can’t do that, now. It’s not a punishment if the kid has everything they want in their bedroom. I’m gonna go on Discord. 

**Yo, I wanted so ask you. Do you listen to Digable Planets, Camp Lo, or Guru’s Jazzmatazz?** 

Yeah, I listened to Jazzmatazz a lot during the early makings of the album. Camp Lo I’ve been listening to all my life. Had no choice. Digable Planets, I love Digable Planets. Ladybug Mecca did a song with Pink Siifu, and I called him like how did you get her on this song? I was like bruh…

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**He’s similar to you, in that it’s in him. He’s musically like putting everything into it. Like you’re getting to know him by listening.** 

Me and him are from the same cloth. And same era, in terms of, we’re baby Miles Davises. And his shit is like, so many different bags. And it’s all still an extension of him. I really admire him, that’s my brother, he’s boundless. There’s no box you can fit him in. He redefines himself, constantly. It’s a weird concept, as an artist, that you can only do what you’re known for. I feel like art is more expression than it’s about giving people what they want.

--

*At this point the event space started blasting music, but it was a good place to end anyway. Thanks Goya!*

The Goya Gumbani Interview

richsince06

Great read would love to own this in print. Laron is the best producer coming out of New York that man has rangeeeeeeeeeee .. .world soon find out and this is a great piece towards to puzzle! Congrats  

CROOKNYC

Nah this interview is mad good and it’s really crazy for anyone to read that’s been OD invested in underground NYC rap for like the past decade or so. I dead remember how nearly all the shit I listened to, whether it was ECW, MIKE, or Jay Critch, Laron had his hands on some fye. Dude is a Goat. 

The Laron Interview

The fish narc Interview

![kim 2024.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/kim_2024_7b0c68f1a6.png)

I asked Finals year-end contributors to do whatever they wanted this year, but also gave ideas of either a straight top 10, or to think of someone/place/thing that had a "huge year." Special Texas-via-Manhattan correspondent kimdollars1 did both, detailing an argument for the Upper West Side as having a legitimately outsized and generative year in rap music, and kicking in a hot 10 at the end. Endless salute to Kim for this kind of work, going above and beyond fr. Check the story below and buy/stream her new  project, out today, [*The Bohemian*](https://kimila.bandcamp.com/album/the-bohemian)!

-Andrew

--

Keeping in the vein of Finals EOY coverage, I wanted to write about “having a big year,” and while in 2024, the “downtown scene” continues to generate much of the cultural image, energy, and attention for Manhattan (within certain parameters of trendiness and cool), I have no choice but to cast my vote for the Upper West Side. 

This year, we got near daily dispatches from Manhattan Valley courtesy of the prolific Sweepers Ent. It was Jay Hound and Jay5ive who held it down after sending off 2023 with the minimal and menacing “[Ukraine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDXHek8uTUI),” as crew members Sdot Go and NazGPG remain incarcerated. My favorite from Jay Hound was the bouncy “[Mysterio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lulAhSmf8AY),” along with his appearance on Jay5ive’s Sweepa Baby tape with “[Pill Popper](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY0fVnFW5kg).” It’s on this project where Jay5ive really carves out his own vision of gritty NY pain rap. Particularly on “Oh Lord (Интерлюдия),” we get reflections on his drug use, his criminal history and inability to break from it, and the feelings he has for his friends who are currently behind bars. In the lines where he speaks of his love for his daughter, his intonations make me wonder if he grew up listening to Juelz Santana (a bonafide Amsterdam Avenue legend).  

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Only ten or so blocks south, we saw a breakout year for M Row, who built a following around his versatility, delivering edgier, more traditional drill tracks alongside party, love, heartbreak, and pain raps, all culminating in a “heartbroken ooter” persona. “Undefeated,” his raunchy collab with MCVERTT, was a big highlight, but I found myself coming back to a solid handful of his singles. 

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These artists appeal to me in how they push the conventions of drill to meet their perspective, with new emotional depth as a result, but alas we still see the emergence of classic, more violent tropes. Here, this is staged as a “beef” between M Row and the Sweepers, particularly Jay5ive. I am not really at all qualified to speak on stuff like this, but my research indicates that M Row and 5ive actually grew up together and are… lowkey kind of friends? I suppose that the [hangouts on Instagram Live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=64XihCRAaZ7I8AIY&v=65qZGH3L1Kc&feature=youtu.be) speak for themselves… Though I don’t doubt that their current dynamic produces tension amongst their circles? Who’s to say… I suppose I find it reassuring (albeit depressing) that the ultimate end to all the dissing is allegedly just some healthy competition, savvy kids playing into the warped demands of their audience. 

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An analysis and critique of how violence is represented in contemporary rap music can be found across Kurious’ new album [*Majician*](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kurious-mf-doom-rap-new-album-interview-1235113062/), which garnered attention for its MF DOOM credit as Executive Producer. Kurious is cemented as a hallowed figure in the underground rap world due to his feature on Operation Doomsday’s “[?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ldikD78vTw),” but his discography runs deep across decades, representing the Upper West throughout. Hopefully my description thus far hasn’t made the project sound stodgy and moralistic. The new album strikes a lovely balance of aged wisdom and fresh sonics, particularly on tracks like “Untainted” and “1984,” where Kurious waxes about the Upper West Side of his childhood. Other highlights for me include DOOM tribute “Cow’s Eye,” upbeat opener “Unknown Species,” and the head-bumping “Barry Gibbs.” It’s a great release, and it makes the Upper West Side’s big year a true multi-generational front.

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I would be remiss not to mention the Upper West Side rapper who garnered the most critical attention this year, even landing a [Nardwaur interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=w6c1CT5IKT8RU3QE&v=UrY9g0JB0uM&feature=youtu.be) about Riverside Park and local Chinese-Latin restaurants. Of course, I’m talking about Xaviersobased, the experimental vocalist who [skates at the Monument](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakQJGsMyKg) and shoots [promo vids on 110th](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=zLAvq_7FRT66rIjj&v=7oCFjjOyTjY&feature=youtu.be). Like, I did a double take when I heard the V&T reference on “[Pediatrician](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=3IpTRHp8bYD-uzPy&v=3-5eQXy7wjo&feature=youtu.be).” I had my middle school graduation dinner there! Speaking of middle school, Xav kicked off the year with “[finna go ot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=_eU8pgdn8SG_gkT4&v=JzRwyv4Xq60&feature=youtu.be),” shot at St. John’s the Divine and the courtyard of MS 54 (alma mater of none other than [A$AP Rocky](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=BYE9zKahPNm89640&v=xjQBzfLA9MA&feature=youtu.be)). Considering that I also grew up on the Upper West Side listening to a lot of Chief Keef, I liked this track a lot. I find it interesting how geographically close Xavier is to artists like the Sweepers, and yet his music occupies a totally different world, only connecting in tangential moments, like on SoundCloud-loosie-turned-Osamason-video-cameo “[Macaroni Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q5loTbMHio).” Once again invoking Keef, Xav delivers the best version of the 917 Rackz-produced track, which also saw a release from [Jay5ive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg--CqHFiS8). Between *keep it goin xav* and *with 2*, both solid tapes, we also got “ghost town,” blown-out and surreal with stand-out lines like the brazen and emphatic, “Baby I’m sorry if I fucked up your pronouns.”

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![Screen Shot 2024-12-06 at 5.47.59 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2024_12_06_at_5_47_59_AM_33bed00569.png)

*Xav getting the Tay Zonday co-sign in the “Macaroni Time” Youtube comments ✍️✍️*

Writing for [Passion of the Weiss](https://www.passionweiss.com/2024/07/25/on-nettspend-xaviersobased-the-confusing-future-of-hip-hop/), Jayson Buford analyzes how Xaviersobased differs from more traditional rap stars, presenting an artsy rebelliousness over the rough grittiness that used to define New York lyricists. I understand how Buford views this as part of a broader, more frustrating shift that aligns with the corporate decontextualization of hip-hop. But simultaneously, it does feel like the article projects a kind of narrow expectation of masculinity onto Xavier that doesn’t feel quite right. Let’s not forget we’re talking about some young bisexual kid. His mom used to be a [house DJ](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/xaviersobased-nettspend-yhapojj-interview-1234982383/) and his dad allegedly works for [Microsoft](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=iwjlo6blxr4FXBUo&v=yhJrYOkw7tI&feature=youtu.be). Welcome to the Upper West Side! While Buford shakes his head, I think to myself, “The kids are alright.” The last big rap phenom to come out of the neighborhood was Wiki, who depicted Buford’s grit as a suffocating feature of city life. But while Wiki and Ratking did innovate on the classic New York sound, they remained firmly rooted in tradition. It feels refreshing to see Xavier by and large upend that. As Buford points out, his strength is in taking the delocalized influences that come with an internet-based music education and presenting them in a singular manner.

Ultimately, I’m just happy when I get a glimpse of the neighborhood in a music video. Since I no longer live in New York, it’s one of the things that can connect me to home offhandedly when I’m clicking around the web. There’s no delight like catching some random shots of Broadway in the B-roll of a Max B [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQdP30YH4xs) [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T08Pfm2sB4M). And before Xav was posted up in front of [PS 165](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idAJ9aXrDWs), we got our glimpses of 109th from [Cardi B](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-39SFNDiOCY). Anyways, here’s my top 10 songs – peep the Port Authority bowling alley in the [Diany Dior video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6CZzJMnbs8) if you remain unconvinced of West Manhattan’s cultural dominance this year! 

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