Welcome to the 64th issue of Backseat Freestyle. This is my weekly hip-hop newsletter I send out every Friday(ish) featuring a deep dive analysis on one big thing that happened over the past seven days. I also include a roundup of links to what I’ve been listening to, reading and watching. You can check out the archive, here, and read more about me, here. If you’re already a BF subscriber, thank you for your continued support. If you’re arriving to this issue by way of a forward, LinkedIn or social media, please subscribe below. And please share this newsletter with your circle so that they can enjoy it; personal referrals go a long way toward my goals for growth. With that said, let’s get into it….

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Taste It Fresh

This is what’s driving hip-hop this week….

TWO YEARS AGO, in June 2024, I wrote a post titled No (Rap) Country for Old Men – with a question mark. Now, the reason I included a question mark is because I wanted to explore Method Man's generation comment, which you'll recall he made after he appeared at Summer Jam. This was before I worked at Hot 97, myself. But, here’s what happened in case you forgot: Meth and Redman were on stage and the reaction to the pair's performance wasn’t on par for the talent that was on stage. When you see Method Man and Redman – two of hip-hop's greatest performers – that’s something special. And it was….to a certain block of fans. To others…not so much. And so in my essay …I said that this is a window into hip-hop at the moment, and I thought that it was actually a sign of growth rather than a lull or a low point in our culture. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. We collectively looked back. That doesn't always happen. We're so obsessed with the new in our culture, and that's what hip-hop is usually about: the next wave, the next artist.

These days, though, it's primarily another new thing happening – rappers who are Meth’s age putting out new material. We're now reaching a point where it's not just a singular kind of occurrence to be 10 albums deep, or even 15 like Nas. And it's happening more often and with the speed of releases and albums there’s no sign of it slowing down. This year in particular, we've seen album releases from T.I., Fat Joe, Juvenile, The Game, Rick Ross, e-40…. And so I really wanted to talk about this period in hip-hop as a part two to No (Rap) Country for Old Men. It’s the evidence of that sign of growth. And I wanted to consider what this moment means. A lot of these guys, and for right now, they're mostly men, are major label refugees who are now doing things on an independent capacity, and I think that frees them from the idea of a major label release. Some of these artists are taking full advantage of that to make more introspective music. Some are still making those major label type albums with the draw of a single but they're doing it more so on their terms.

To dive into it, I really wanted to discuss this topic with Datwon Thomas. He has this taste that really merges the underground and mainstream. He's obviously been doing it for a long time himself. He's one of the foremost figures in hip hop journalism history, from launching and starting King magazine to being the editor-in-chief of XXL and Vibe. He’s kind of the perfect person to have this conversation with and a longtime friend, so it was a good talk that I think you’ll enjoy. Check it out as we discuss all things gray in hip-hop. We kind of struggled to come up with a name for this era or movement. If you have an idea of what a name could be, hit me on social @jaysonrodriguez and maybe in the next post, I'll talk about what that name could be for what we'll be talking about.

🚙 🚙 🚙 🚙

Respect my mind or die from lead shower.

You can also listen wherever you listen to podcasts by visiting, here.

Music, news, reads, podcasts and videos that I’m checking for this week.

No Rest for The Wicked by AZ Chike is an album I’d been looking forward to arriving since I first heard him on Kendrick’s “peakaboo.” The LA rapper continues to put his lyrical flow to good use on his LP, particularly on “Wonder” and his pair of Tyler, The Creator collabs. While he doesn’t offer as much raw talent as, say, Ray Vaughn, AZ Chike does more than hold his own on his latest set. [Listen]

The circumstances aren’t sunny, but, whatever it takes to get a Remy Ma project. She’s in full Bronx mode as she fires off (Papoose and others) throughout her latest EP, Alimony. The only downfall [Listen]

Storytelling ain’t what it used to be in hip-hop, but don’t tell that to Tee Grizley, because “Robbery 10” from his latest album, They Forgot, is top tier narrative rap. [Listen]

I know I’m talking about over 40 and over 50 rappers on the latest pod, but when it comes to the under 30 set, I don’t know if there’s a lot of artists out there that can touch Nemzzz. The Manchester rapper continues his rampage with another self-released set via Locked In. Please, sir, I want some more. [Listen] Related: Notion cornered the British rapper ahead of his latest release. [Read]

I wouldn’t mind Flo Milli season returning sooner than later—and with RiotUSA riding shotgun after producing her two-track drop. Her flip on Kelis’ “Bossy” is a winner but “Hot As A Bic” is pushy in the best way. [Listen]

This seems needlessly messy imo: OutKast vs. Ovrkast. (Maybe I’ll write about this next week; got a chance to meet Ovrkast a couple months back and I think he’s gonna have a long career; but, ‘Kast, obviously, have already had along career). [Info]

HBO’s “Jay-Z in 8” ain’t perfect, but it’s frustrating must-see, according to New York magazine. [Read]

Ken Carson covers Complex ahead of ComplexCon. [Read]

The (new) “King of New York” lays his crown in the Boogie Down, so says this BK Mag profile of The Kid Mero. [Read] Related: Fat Joe stopped by Mornings with Mero for a hilarious conversation about everything. [Watch]

It may seem like Jermaine Dupri speaks often, but when you hear a conversation like the one he had on The Manager’s Playbook podcast, you’ll wish he talked about the business and his career more. [Listen]

I don’t always love it when a prestige outlet parachutes in to talk to rappers, but this Grandmaster Flash appearance on the New Yorker’s main podcast is top notch and handled with all the grace he deserves as makes the rounds talking about his new memoir. [Listen]

Coi Leray flips the sports interview concept in a cool way for her “Media Day Freestyle” [Watch]

We didn’t get to hit on this in my pod, but Fabolous’ travel vlog/freestyle series is a dope way to keep active. Peep his newest entry, “The Hoodoos Freestyle.” The Let’s Rap About It crew are staying active in inventive ways. [Watch]

Kirk Franklin got busy with this Shawty Lo flip of “Day Know” and the energy of his From the Block performance is A1. [Watch]

Drake’s FOMO was a cool viewing experience (an ambitious digital feat but also stuffed with a handful of ain’t you tool old for this moments) and I keep wondering what the reception would be to his steaming pivot if he was still the undisputed top dog. [Watch]

Backseat Freestyle is written and produced by me, Jayson Rodriguez, impartially and independently via my company, Smarty Art. If you have any comments, feedback or questions, feel free to email me: [email protected]. If you would like to discuss sponsoring an issue of the newsletter, contact: [email protected] and check out the rates, here. And follow me elsewhere:

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POLL: Last newsletter, Refocusing the Life and Times S. Carter, I asked what album was better Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt or The Blueprint - y’all said The Blueprint.