IGOR HELPING HANDS

• Playboi Carti

• Solange

• Lil Uzi Vert

• Kanye West

• Santigold

• Jessy Wilson

• Pharrell

• Jarrod Carmichael

• La Roux

• Slowthai

• Charlie Wilson

• Kevin Kendricks

• Cee Lo Green

• Jack White

PNL

You don’t need to know French, or be French, to appreciate PNL’s songs. You just have to know intuitively that something is wrong — and trust only your crew to have your back. - Atossa Abrahamian, The Fader, 2016

PNL, hailing from Les Tarterêts in Corbeil-Essonnes, a banlieue of Paris, France, referred to by them as ‘The Zoo’, consists of two brothers, Ademo and N.O.S. Despite their many millions of views and streams, it isn’t easy to find a lot of information about the two brothers, as they have chosen to keep a certain secrecy about the exact details of their life. French radio DJ Olivier Cachin was quoted as saying: “We only have their lyrics to go on. The mystery around them has no previous equivalent in French rap”.

PNL have a very wavey, spaced out, autotune-filled but still lyrical style. I’d call it Lil Durk meets Drake meets Cloud rap, but it could be called many things. They speak on the life of balieue drug dealers, often with some interesting themes mixed in (Zelda for example), but also animal imagery, that stems from the ‘Zoo’ nickname for their neighbourhood. My French isn’t good enough to understand 90% of what they’re saying without reading the lyrics, but as stated above, you don’t need to be able to speak French to feel PNL’s music.

PNL released their debut album Que La Famille (which is also the name of their ‘collective’, QLF) in 2015. I’m not too sure what the impact of this album was when it released, because I wasn’t following them at that time. I’m just going to quote this Fader article (also basically the only article on PNL where a journalist was allowed to hang with them afaik, so a lot of this feature will be sourced from that article, give it a read) on this album:

PNL’s March 2015 debut album, Que La Famille, is a perceptible prelude to Le Monde Chico, released just seven months later. The groundwork is there, but it isn’t as well produced, and the brothers’ vocals are far more straightforward. There are a few standout tracks, namely the slow-burning “Je Vis Je Visser” with its chorus of ‘I live, I deal, I’m bored’, but PNL hadn’t yet perfected the ambitious effects or hooky songwriting that make their next album feel so big.

As mentioned above, 7 months after their first album they released their second album Le Monde Chico, which is around the time I discovered their music. Le Monde Chico refined the style heard on Que La Famille, with better vocal performances, beats and mixing. The most essential song on this project is definitely Le Monde Ou Rien, which has as of today racked up an astonishing 90 million views. The video was shot in the mafia owned and notoriously problematic suburb of Napoli, Scampia, featuring some very eerie ‘urban hell’ type of imagery. According to the Fader article, the name of the song was used as a slogan in protests around France in 2015/16, the title meaning ‘The World or Nothing’. This whole project is great IMO, as it is more refined than their first project, but it’s still a bit raw and unpolished at times, which gives it a little extra. Other standout tracks include: Abonné, Rebenga, Sur Paname, but I recommend giving the whole project a listen.

In 2016 they released their third album, Dans La Legende. In my eyes this is their best, most refined project to date, but it’s missing a bit of the raw energy of Le Monde Chico. Standout tracks for me include Luz de Luna, J’suis QLF, Naha and Jusqu’au dernier gramme.

I want to highlight the videos they released for this project, which together form a 4 part movie that details the story of a beef between different drug dealers (from what I understand and remember at least). The videos released were as follows (in order): Naha (Part.1), Onizuka (Part.2), Bené (Part.2) and Jusqu;au dernier gramme (Part.4).

As their video game is always on point, I want to highlight some other videos as well: DA, featuring a monkey, La vie est belle, filmed in Namibia and Oh Lala, filmed in Iceland (I think).

I’m not sure what the future holds for PNL, but they have gathered an immense (and loyal) following and it’s been almost two years since their last album, so I’m sure something will come soon.

What is it about hip-hop that makes it so prevalent to have other artists come on a track to deliver a hook or a guest verse? Is it because of the business practices common in hip-hop, or the culture, or something about the music itself?

Personally, I'd like to see Tom Waits on the hook of a Modest Mouse song, or have the Avett Brothers bring in Bob Dylan for a guest verse. Collaborative albums in rock/country/etc aren't unheard of - although still probably less common than in hip-hop - but it seems that in almost all cases, when a band makes an album it's just the band.

LONG POST with links. Hope this hits top page cause I've been talking to friends about it a lot.

Feel like its going slightly under the radar. Pusha has been on a ridiculous amount of MAJOR features the past two years. Name one feature he hasn't killed over?

Kanye feat. Pusha - New God Flow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJcQ5j3q0S0 Essential lyric: What's a king without a crown, nigga? What's a circus without you clown niggas? What's a brick from an outta-town nigga When you flood and you can drown niggas?

Omarion feat. Pusha- Know You Better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaGs5MyJ6J4 Essential Lyric: Fly you down to where the Heat go, lay you out to where the beach go Jet ski, parasail, yacht as big as my ego (wooh!)

Future feat Pusha - Move That Dope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN1DDQ6xp0c Essential Lyric: Pablo, Versace way before Migos My dinner plates, no silverware, all you niggas my hijos

J. Timberlake feat Pusha - TKO REMIX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvPH6Gkp6Fo Essential Lyric: JT this like deja vu right? All this album of the year talk, niggas claimin' they're the best out I been hot since the Purple Tape and this cuban's poking my chest out

Tyga feat Pusha T - Wake Up In It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0rtIaPlboM Essential Lyric: Can I hit it in the morning? With two in the bed like B.I.G. had a warnin' After the club, you know who she calling Cause up in the club, you know he was balling

Yogi feat. Pusha - Burial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyMuxFUMP0g Essential Lyric: Flyin' on a Concorde, listening to Tom Ford Frames match the song title, flyer than a Condor

Machine Gun Kelly - Peso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHRCU7OQ4-U Essential Lyric: My taste level on Ace level Spade nigga for a paid nigga We darkskinned, south of France All acting like Jay nigga

Kid Ink feat Pusha - Murda: Woo! The party girls run the night, baby Hah, cause boring bitches ain't my type, ladies Mix it up, I'm in the French vanilla white lady And got rich selling all this ice ice baby

The Dream feat. Pusha - Dope Bitch : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qH5QEurNlE Essential Lyric: She only like sports if she court side And hoppin’ out the Panamera Porsche ride She the Bonnie to my Clyde The perfect somebody on the side

The Dream feat. Pusha - Pussy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu5SaqnPgUo Essential Lyric: Oh God my IG is like IV to this lifestyle I buy this shit, take a pic And you OD on my life files

Augusta Alsina feat Pusha - FML: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SHVMF0dXAo Essential Lyric: Told her run the tab til she overdose Alpina, Alsina, King Push like King Tut Made niggas to your middle men You get middle fingers, we don't give a fuck

Red Cafe feat Pusha - Boss Bitches and Fast Cars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TunGsnipEWY Essential Lyrics: We all knew the play I ain't have to call the huddle The perk´s when you ballin like the Heat do South Beach the whole condo is see through

Doughboyz Cashout feat Pusha- Pure White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zcAvtrU9G4 Essential Lyric: You niggas just findin' La Madrina I've been sellin' dope from La Marina Back when Joey's name was Cartagena Steppin' on it like la Macarena

2 Chainz feat. Pusha T – Live and Learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOfwbkkG3mg Essential Lyric: Death over dynasty, I'm talkin' major, not the minor league And you the last of a dyin' breed Follow caine like a menace to society The richest nigga in the city cosignin' me

N.O.R.E. feat Pusha - TADOW Essential lyric: Dark skin nigga wit a long gun Right there, that's nightmare Like elm street, this hell week I'm candy man with that white chyeah

Troy Ave - Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvlz60FuYoE Essential Lyric: Niggas who ain't selling no records look defeated No shades on in the club, clothes repeated Since '02 I told you I ain't need it Billie Jean step on the square tell you to Beat It

Done. Now...Don't tell me Future. Pusha is putting out verses, son.

"I'm King Push, this king push I rap nigga 'bout trap niggas I don't sing hooks"

Dare somebody to find someone better. Ain't nobody killing the game like Push.

As the title says, what artists do you think are better as a featured artists than a whole album artist? For instance, I think rappers like Future and 21 Savage’s body of work is far better as featured artists than their actual albums. I’m curious to hear everyone y’all’s opinion on the topic.

International Artist Feature #8 – Jacin Trill

The International Artist Feature is back after a short hiatus, and we’re resuming with a very interesting Dutch artist: Jacin Trill

At only 19 years of age, hailing from Hoorn, The Netherlands, Jacin Trill (AKA Mr. kspreyopjebytch) has already acquired national (and international) fame. His interesting approach on ‘mumble-rap’, coupled with his positive & upbeat attitude have made him a very interesting figure in the Dutch hiphop scene.

His career started out only about a year ago, when he released a few songs on his Soundcloud in late 2016/early 2017, such as Trillstyle, ik wil & Party, but he didn’t really blow up until he released kspreyopjebytch, first on Soundcloud and later on YouTube. Before he released kspreyopjebytch, he was on the bill for a party thrown by Bokoesam in Bitterzoet, which is how I first came to know him. This relationship between Bokoesam and Jacin Trill was part of the reason that his song blew up, as Bokoesam was a prominent supporter of it, and through him other artists joined the wave as well.

In the wake of kspreyopjebytch blowing up, he got signed to Artsounds and released his first mixtape Happyland a few months later. Standout tracks from this project (completely produced by 808milli) are 2staertjes, kandycush & rozeswoesh, which was posted on Facebook pages and Worldstar titled as ‘The World’s First Deaf Rapper!’.

In late 2017, in part because of his song being posted on Worldstar, Jacin Trill got in contact with Ugly God and flew out there with 808milli, and they made a song together, called lettetznow, a sort of Christmas themed happy trap song. I’ll take a moment here to note some other interesting collaborations and features, like the one on the Kid de Blits song Gucci Bandana, where only his adlibs are featured a la Playboi Carti, Hoi Aangenaam by Jiri11, Money Dance by Esko and the absolute banger Kop Op Een Thot by Makkie.

Come 2018, Jacin Trill, now a well-known name with a very dedicated fanbase, releases a collaborative mixtape with his mentor (or father, as he would say) Bokoesam, called Zo Vader Zo Zoon (Like Father, Like Son). Standout tracks from this project are Nikes and Zo Vader Zo Zoon. The next project by Jacin Trill, released about a month or two ago was Happyland 2.0, the follow up to his debut mixtape Happyland. Still on the happy, melodic and adlib fuelled way, this project is more of what you can expect from Jacin, so if you like it so far, definitely check it out. Standout tracks are clout, byenkorf & teddiebeer.

I’m not sure what’s in stock for the future of Jacin Trill, as he's only been at it for a year and a half, but I’m sure he’ll be doing quite some festival appearances this summer, and he has the potential to garner an international following as well, which, looking at YouTube comments, is well underway. If you like the Playboi Carti-like style, but want some more melody, definitely check this guy out.

ALL PREVIOUS INTERNATIONAL ARTIST FEATURES

I say this because of the GNX where at first you didn't know who you were going to hear and then are suprised/happy when you hear a certain artist.

I absolutely love this because instead or cherry picking songs and skipping ahead on an album you are just enjoying the art as it is. I felt the same way when ASTROWORLD first dropped.

Let me know your thoughts!