By: Alfonso Abreu
As the scorching heat of the summer starts to turn into the chilly winds of fall, it seems there is still confusion as to what exactly was the rap song of the summer. To me, the answer couldn’t be more obvious.
The high-octane eccentric duo of Atlanta rappers Pluto and YK Niece’s viral hit “Whim Whamiee”, the enigmatic superstar Playboi Carti’s enthralling anthem “Like Weezy”, and the humorous and jovial BunnaB’s feel-good summer bang “Bunna Summa”, to name a few, are some of my considerations. On first listen, one can write off the songs as simple mood setters about constant partying and mindless flexing, yet at its core, it’s a love letter to the tunes from Atlanta’s short-lived futuristic era that united the city.
Atlanta’s futuristic era lasted from the late 2000s to the early 2010s, best characterized as songs about partying, cars, money, and girls over bubbly digitalized beats that sound like they were made on a pimped-out BlackBerry (remember those?), delivered with autotuned drenched vocals and high intensity, whilst DJ tags and ear-ripping sound effects are sprinkled throughout.
The teen comedies shenanigans repackaged as bright autotuned melodies from Rich Kidz, Travis Porter’s crowd commanding club anthems, and the laidback colorful descriptive bars of Young Dro: “My drop top Chevy so apple green”, “Benz coupe same color Ric Flair hair”, assisted in making the era be remembered for the low-stakes communal energy it brought to Atlanta rather than just the flashy Ralph Lauren and True Religion pairings.
The aforementioned “Whim Whamiee” may contain traces of Atlanta’s gritty musical past before leaning more to the future, as the beat is a flip of Gutta and OJ Da Juiceman’s track “Wham Bam” produced by Zaytoven. Yet, the energy and inseparable chemistry between Pluto and YK Niece harken back to what made some of the best from the futuristic era stand out. Over Zaytoven’s dazzling yet urgent synths, Pluto’s screechy voice boasts so much energy, which pairs well with the commanding voice of YK Niece, who draws attention with one-liners that will burrow deep into your brain: “I’m talkin’ ‘bout innit!”. The energy is at its highest throughout the track, due in part to the unmixed ad-libs, “LULULEMON!”, blaring through the mix as if they were in the studio recording with a megaphone.
It’s the little details like this that highlight the chemistry between the two, in which makes you believe the pair share a friendship so strong they can finish each other sentences: unfortunately months removed from the track’s release the duo separated, seemingly dubbing each other as “business partners”, with future listens of the song prompting you to wonder what could’ve been.
Despite two of the forerunners of Atlanta’s futuristic revival falling out, the spirit continues living on thanks to the self-proclaimed “Ice Cream Girl” BunnaB, whose music is so drenched with nostalgia that the influences are apparent, yet it’s excused because of how fun all of it is. The major hit “Bunna Summa” details her Don Julio-fueled summer plans of partying in True Religion jeans with her friends, with a hook so catchy you’ll wonder if she has room for one more.
She has other equally entertaining songs like “Ice Cream Girl,” where she plays around with ice cream-themed lyrics with a melody reminiscent of the ice cream truck jingle. On paper, the song should be a lazy attempt at instilling youthful energy through the use of a cheap sample, yet avoids this because of her cheerful personality, which sprinkles in a playful nature that solidifies the track as a catchy rendition.
My personal favorite is her single “A.T.L.A.N.T.A.” A breezy, infectious love letter to the city that sees her shouting out neighborhoods over a spacy arrangement of synths that have a groove you can’t help but get lost in. To seal the envelope of this letter, it features a riveting hook which contains a reference to the late great Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan, where she sings-raps “Ask me where I’m from, I told ’em A-T-L-A-N-T-A / T-N-T-A, make you feel some type of way”, a nod to Quan’s classic hit “Type of way”. It reminds you that it’s more than just nostalgia for the city of Atlanta; it’s about appreciating the history.
Appreciating the city’s history is the intention of superstar producer Metro Boomin’s latest project, “A Futuristic Summa”, which catches the futuristic revival wave right during the peak of the summer season.
The tape acts as an homage to the era’s pioneers,such as J Money, Roscoe Dash, and Waka Flocka Flame, to name a few. It’s very reminiscent of DJ Spinz and DJ Pretty Boy Tank’s expansive “Space Invaders” series, which focused on highlighting a revolving cast of artists who were paving their way in Atlanta at the time.
There is a lot of fun to be had across the tape’s double-disc format; veterans fall back comfortably into the irreverent festivity they spent their younger years making music of.
“U Deserve” sees T.I., Young Dro, Roscoe Dash, and Travis Porter dropping smooth, flirtatious odes to the ladies in the clubs, who have captured their eyes over a vibrant dance groove with gorgeous keys that shine as bright as the disco ball above this scene. It’s heartwarming seeing these same artists make their way on a project that celebrates the impact they had on the city. The previously mentioned BunnaB and YK Niece appear on the tape to share the stage with the greats for a quick yet memorable performance that adds another layer of sweetness to this futuristic revival.
For an era where the majority of the mixtapes that soundtracked the era only exist on YouTube archive pages and mixtape websites, it brings joy to see the era’s legacy live on, especially after the passings of the city’s very own legends.
While it wouldn’t be in the same True Religion jeans or Polos of the past, fun will still be had.