ALBUM PICKS
Curated by Needle to the Groove Instagram: needletothegrooverecords
KAYTRAMINÉ
Chow Mane
Kaytraminé
AZN Dragon: Cake Long
“Kay sent me free beats back in 2015 / Now it’s 2023 and we got racks in our jeans.” This couplet brag midway through “UGH UGH” captures the spirit and context of producer Kaytranada and rapper Aminé’s new collaborative album, Kaytraminé, well. It’s a carefree, 11-track set ready to invade summer playlists that shouts out the pair’s collective success but often dwells a bit too much on carnal pleasure. Opener “Who He Iz” and single “4EVA” pair Kaytranada’s signature bounce with double-time flow, Aminé effortlessly confident. “STFU3” shows Kay is still completely comfortable delivering a new age hip-hop knock behind the boards, while “Eye” features an impressionistic verse from Snoop Dogg wishing to push through relationship struggles. His bars about reconciliation appear in stark contrast to Aminé’s repeated boasts of sexual prowess, no matter the female. While the subject matter is rapper cliché at this point, he revisits the topic enough across the project’s 33-minute runtime to sound one-dimensional lyrically at times. Despite this gripe, it’s clear the duo has solid chemistry. Based on Aminé’s receipts on social media, they’ve been fans of one another for years. It’s evident Aminé has listened to Kay long enough to confidently ride his beats of varying tempo, whether it’s half-time trap, soulful sampled hip-hop, percussive afrobeat or midtempo steppers. “Can’t be your true self while seeking validation / Gotta learn to let go, that’s infatuation” Aminé repeats on standout “K&A.” It’s a nice slow-burn closer, with Aminé spitting until the volume slowly fades on him, proclaiming “Y’all bought the same fit but couldn’t buy the steeze.” Effortless cool is the game plan from start to finish. It’s edgy enough to not feel sanitized and never jarring enough to warrant repeat skips. Ultimately, it’s a fun project made by eager collaborators that never rises high enough to be considered more than good.
In 2017, an unorthodox track rose up on SoundCloud’s algorithm. It blasted through frat party playlists, racked up reblogs on Tumblr, and received 400k views for its music video on YouTube. That song “ABG” incidentally launched a music career for San Jose’s own–Chow Mane, or Charles to his friends. He just had to swerve around some boxes. As a child of divorced, low-income immigrants, his representation of “third culture” experiences is prevalent. Across international hip-hop markets, he stands out with his ability to rhyme Mandarin, Cantonese, and English together into well-timed jokes. Yet his prolific storytelling also resonates with anyone grieving a breakup or facing off their own ego. Mining through the material that is his own life, Chow Mane has churned out a robust discography that bolsters him from folding into an “Asian Lil Dicky.” If versatility is Chow’s superpower, his latest full-length album, AZN Dragon: Cake Long, declares the courage to use it. With a cover inspired by American Dragon: Jake Long, the early ’00s Disney show about a Chinese-American teen who’s half-dragon, the project pairs new tracks with loose singles. Familiar collaborations like “San Jo to K-Town” and “BEYBLADE” shine light into a world that is distinctly West Coast Asian-American, while “Bing Ji Ling” celebrates the rewards of the hustle—served with classic Chow Mane humor that leans into cheeky translations. As on most of his albums, he switches sounds often. “Last Dance” floats a simple club beat over spacious synths, but its driving bpm complements halting melodic line breaks in the chorus. This new song is preceded by its sonic opposite, “ABG 2: The Revenge of Kevin Nguyen,” a rainbow-bubblegum-pop take on future-bass EDM that playfully recontextualizes the archetype in its 2020s era. Chow closes out with “Shanghai Summers.” an intimate portrait of his mother’s journey. A listen through Chow’s latest project reminds you he doesn’t fit a mold, and neither do you.
(CLBN LLC / Kaytranada Music) Release Date: May 19, 2023 Written by Brandon Roos
Favorite Track: “K&A” KAYTRAMINE.COM Social media: kaytramine
C 72 Profiles 15.4
(Five Spice Entertainment) Release Date: May 19, 2023 Written by Esther Young
Favorite Track: “Shanghai Summers” Instagram: chowmane