Is "Sremm 4 Life" Rae Sremmurd's BEST Album?

One more time. Then we do it one more time. One more time. Spin it, rock, spin it one more time. Hit me, baby, one more time. You're such a degenerate gambler. Like, do you have to gamble on everything? Humans love gambling. Well, why do you think that is? It's just in our DNA. It's why the government created a tax on the poor called the lottery that you know anyone could have made, but for some reason it's government sanctioned, and then the money from that doesn't actually go back to the poor, which is crazy. We could get into that, but let's not, frankly. Let's definitely not get into that. I wasn't on the agenda. I was like, shit. I thought we were a music podcast and we're just unpacking some socioeconomic political shit that you're in the right place. This is not the socioeconomic one more time podcast. They're over there with the one more time music podcast. Yeah, imagine there's a one more time podcast. Well, you know, the one more time podcast on fucking YouTube is like some it's like Spanish Spanish or something. Uh yeah, right. And they're killing it like Italian or some shit. Some weird, yeah, some other I mean I don't say weird, but it's not fucking America, so it ain't great. Make one more time podcast great again.

Oh my god. God. Anyways, did you hear the new Drake song? Search and Rescue? Yeah. I did. I did. Yo, shit's kind of mid. Mid-grade? Shit's kind of mid. Mid-grade? You think so? And I'm a drizzy Drake fan, bro. Yeah. I'm almost the type which is almost every Drake fan where it's like Drake can do no wrong, you know? He doesn't do very much wrong, for sure. But I just feel like I was listening to it and it felt very mid. Like it just felt repetitive. I was waiting for you to use some like descriptive words. Like all I can say. The 38 mark, 38 second mark, it felt very mid. No, but I will say this. He did it again, though, even though I thought it was mid. I caught myself getting out of the car because I literally finished listening to it as I pulled up. I caught myself humming the melody as I got out of the whip. How mid is it if you're gonna be reciting it? Yeah. Later. I don't think it's mid.

Um I don't know if it's the song. If I'm like Drake's guy, I don't know if I'm rushing to put it out as a single necessarily. I think it's a good song. I think it sounds more like an album cut. My thing with that song is why are there seven producers on a pretty basic straight hi hat, rim shot, piano beat? Like, what were all these people doing? Shout out to Beenix, who I'm glad caught a break. He used to put Drake acapellas on his beats to see if they were hard. Wait, really? This is a a tweet, a real tweet he's yeah, he put out saying, you know, I used to put Drake acapellas on my beats just to see if the beat was hard. And now he's producing for Drake. That's cool. But it kind of makes me wonder like there's seven producers on this song with kind of a regular beat. It works. Um, it's a good beat for Drake, who likes beats with lots of room, lots of space. Drake's songs, the vocal is very much the primary instrument. Even you know, 40, his engineer and producer from forever created the 40 sound, which is like rolling off all the top end, getting into some engineering talk. I'm like, all the top end right over my head.

He he basically EQs out all the highest like frequencies from the beat, so that only Drake's voice is there. So Drake is very much a guy whose music is gonna have the vocal be the lead thing. He doesn't do a lot of stacks or ad libs. That main vocal is what you're paying attention to. So the beat fits that, but why did it I why did it it take seven people to do that? Yeah, you gotta wonder what the paperwork looked like for that. You know, everyone's like, are we really doing this for this beat? Shout out Phoenix, but he got like two and a half percent on that record. So shout out to him. So is that a is that a common strategy to put some of your favorite artists like over your beats to determine if they're if they're hard or not? Like is have you done that before? I've done it before. I don't know if I was necessarily checking to see if the beat was hard. I kind of just was like gassing myself up to be like, this is gonna be a remix and the artist is gonna hear it and then they're gonna work with me, kind of thing. Okay, or I'll drop it on SoundCloud and it'll go viral.

But um, but it makes sense because producers a lot of times when you're making a beat, you'll have to like start rapping on it to kind of hear if it even makes sense. A beat can sound hard by itself, but does it sound hard with vocals on it? That's like a whole different question they gotta ask yourself sometimes. I feel like most producers need to uh do that test, right? Because once again, not the producer here, so leave me the fuck alone, bitches. But I think that a lot of producers that I've talked to had made the mistake of trying to make this crazy ass beat There's no room alone by itself as an instrumental might almost sound like a song because it's going so fucking crazy, but then you add the most important instrument to a beat, aka the vocal, right? The artist's vocal, and it just doesn't work. We call those beat battle beats. It's You can't send artists beat battle beats. If the beat is gonna, you're gonna send it into a beat battle and they're gonna play it, and everyone's like, oh, oh, you know, the a great beat that's gonna end up getting placed and be on the radio should always sound like it's missing that last thing. Because it is, you know, it should sound have a degree of simplicity to it.

It doesn't have to be the most basic shit in the world, you know, not saying that beat was the most basic, but yeah, it was. There was nothing that's what you just said outstanding about it. I think it worked. I like the song. I don't think the song's mid. Um, I don't know about a single drop for Drake. That was a bold push, but you know, I respect it. We they know more than we do. So who the fuck are we? Yeah, I I think my advice, once again, this is coming from you know ARs and other producers and stuff that have gotten like major placements. I think that listening to instrumentals of beats that have gotten placed, yeah, sounds so fucking obvious. Yeah, but I don't know that every aspiring producer is doing it. Well, they're they're usually not released. There's no where do you go to listen to those? You know, there's no like easy place to find the beat. Yeah, but with like AI, can't you do that shit now? ChatGPT, remove Drake's vocals from this beat. Honestly, there's like uh people like the sponsor of this episode, Lalal.ai, who not actually sponsored this episode, but they have sponsored. me in the past. We're getting sued by Lalal.

No, they've actually sponsored me in the past on my personal page. That is a great um splitter. They have an algorithm that can split anything from anything, and go sign up for lalal.ai with my promo code that I don't actually have. And you can hear what the beat sounds like without Drake. Worst brand ambassador ever. Still waiting on Yerba Mate to give us a call, by the way. No, so in other news, the boys are back together. The band is back together. We got Ray Sremmurd. Yes. off a new project, SremmLife for Life. SremmLife. I know, Sremm For life. Exactly. Because three, they used the three, which I respect, obviously. Uh, in the SremmLife. Um, what was two again? I can't. Was it just SremmLife 2? I don't know. Let's find out. I want to say one was SremmLife and two was Sremm Life 2. And then three was the triple disc. They had one disc that was both of them. Okay, yeah. SremmLife. SremmLife

was with the three, it, you know, as the E. You know, SremmLife 2 was Sremm Life 2. And then SremmLife. SremmLife. No, SremmLife. Sremm Life was just the original. Yeah, so I had it right. Yeah. And SremmLife 3 was a triple disc, was the one disc with both of them, the Sway disc and the Jimmy Disc. Yeah. Which I thought was a cool concept for sure to do that. What was Swaecation? What's Swaecation? Is that a solo? Must have been a Swae Lee project and a bunch of the tracks from SremmLife 3 or SremmLife with a three. That might just be the Sway disc. It might be. Because it was a three disc project. From Jimtro. Yeah, okay. I want to say that was just the that's how they had to designate it on streaming because we don't live in a no Spotify. You go on Spotify, it says disc one, disc two, disc three. They actually had it. No, not now. Maybe not on mobile. No, no. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing it on web. They had it kind of figured out. Regardless. Yeah. How'd you feel about the boys back together? Five years.

It's been too long. I mean, I know you guys are doing big things, and you gotta go to photo shoots and do Saturday Night Live or whatever the fuck, but I think you waited a while. I mean, Sremm Life 1 and 2 were a year apart. Yeah. So, you know, but once you get to that level, I guess you can take some more time. Um yeah, but I was listening to some interviews about it. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean give us the scoop. Does it yeah? It doesn't come as a as a surprise, probably to you, but there was some there was some business that came into the to the equation. Some family beef. Uh I just some family stew. They didn't they didn't reference whether it was, of course, you know, between each other or between them and Mike Will and the labels. You know, there's a bunch of interscope, I think it's involved with with uh Eardrummers or whatever. Um but they're they wanted to get their percentages straight. That was just the kind of blanket response that they were giving, right? Interesting. So if I were to guess, Sway Lee obviously, I think I think Sunflower came out right around the time that Which is like the most streamed song of all time It's crazy. Like you can up here. You're negotiating at that point.

Yeah, so that came out that came out like right after or around the same time, honestly, as Sremm 3. And so Sway, once again, I'm completely, you know, like flame him for how wrong he is. I'm taking a stab in the dark. But like, if I'm Sway Lee, Yeah you're trying to get a bigger bag. no shade to Jimmy, but like, bruh. Yesterday. Did you think it was between them two? I just mean all parties involved. It was just like he's not getting the same that I'm getting. The label ain't getting what they thought they were getting. What about Mike Will? Mike, shout out to you, but you ain't getting what you were getting before Sunflower. I was on Sunflower. I was on Sunflower, bruh. I'm Sway motherfucking Lee. Sunflower, I think it has out, I'm sure it's outstreamed any Mike Will song. Yeah. I think it's literally one of the most streamed songs of all time. No, I believe it. Like, actually. Yeah. No, like look that up real quick. Yeah. If you can. Yeah. Um, but no, so I thought it was also interesting.

Slim Jimmy, I think admitted to also needing to take time to find himself, right? Like they were traveling the world, bro. Like they were on the top of the charts. I think Black Beatles was number one for ever. That was such a moment. By the way, Sunflower is the sixth most streamed song of all time. Wow. Right behind Rockstar. How good is post? Holy fuck. Post is on another level. Shout out Blinding Lights, The Weekend at number one. Yeah. But yeah, post for the five and six spots. God. Amazing. Damn, dude. Yeah. So, you know, Jimmy also mentioned that not only was the business needing to be, you know, straightened out, um, he also took a lot of time to himself to figure out, you know, what it is exactly that his role is in all of this. I think he didn't say it this way, but it was basically just like so. Being the number two, bro.

Let's call it what it is. Yeah, he just he was kind of looking at himself and being super critical. And like, you know, he blatantly said this and and you know, came out and said that he didn't want to just be delivering like mid-verses, mid-performances. He just looked at himself as kind of not doing, like not reaching his full potential. I love that. Yeah, I love that too. So he was maybe making some songs that they wanted to use where he was maybe like it could be better. Yeah, it was just him letting Sway go do his thing while he was completely fine with just like, yo, I need to I need to level my shit up real quick. By the way, he went he goes last on too many songs on that album. Can we make can Jimmy go first more? Like one of my favorite songs he starts, so he pops it off, flaunt it slash cheaper or the two song with the switch fire. Um, I think yeah, I think Swae Lee pops it off. Like too much, like I need more of a it's reminiscent of the Migos, man.

Like they always used to put Takeoff last, and then Takeoff became everyone's favorite. It's like, let's let's balance, let's give everyone a chance here, because there's some hidden, you know, there's not even hidden, like there's some fire here. Yeah, and it was interesting because I listened to their uh interview with academics before I listened to the project. Because I kind of wanted to understand a little bit of the the You wanted to get a bias in in place. I wanted to just understand like the background and kind of what you know, just listen to it with a a different perspective, right? Some people would like to do it the opposite, right? Let's go in unbiased and not knowing anything about it. Yeah, but I liked understanding what the vision was and how it was made and just kind of their where they're at, you know, mentally, you know, musically, whatever. And um, you know, every time Jimmy comes in, I actually get like hyper about the song. Same. Like he's sliding. Not and Sway always does his thing. Like he is the rock star, he does the hooks, but Jimmy's the perfect fucking like other.

Their voices don't sound the same. same. He's that perfect balance, and he I think he's the better rapper. Oh, for sure. Of the duo. For sure. Like he's got a rap voice. He has a rap voice. He does. And his flows are rappy. Very good. You know, and um, yeah, so that's something that you know, I think they figured out is the balance between, and I think producers they work with probably see it as well. Um, but overall, you know, just going back to just the album. I really like the album. Uh, my favorite tracks probably uh The Flaunt It, um, the two-part song. I love Mississippi Slide, Mississippi Slide Hard is a bop. Um, I think that's Zaytoven. Ben Genese also. Is that Zaytoven I think, on a Mississippi slide. Yes. Um, but you know, and I hate like talking negative about anything like that. I hate, yeah. Shout out. Yeah. Hate talking anything negative. And actually, the Tanisha, though, which is I think just Mike, pump that that was already out before. I hate to like, you know, the single be the best song, but that's my favorite song on the project. But I pumped that, so fucked like it's perfectly in their element of different enough.

It's almost dancey, you know. It has this kind of like boom kind of feel, like dance feel, um, but still them, and they just float on it and it's memorable. Love the Tanisha song. That was the whole point of the project, by the way. You just like the fact that you didn't listen to an interview before and they fully executed on what they were going for makes me so happy. Trying like dance. really they wanted people to move. I didn't know that. They're sick of they wanted to make fun music again. They're sick of just the shit that's been out for the most of the last five years since they dropped. They want that that that movement, that motion. again. I think it's getting the ladies more involved you know. Yeah, how many? There's only so many like in the trap songs that dudes can listen to in their cars There's, you know, that they paid too much for. Like, we gotta get yeah, we gotta get people dancing again. So I love I love that, and I did feel that. You know, the first song is like origami, and it has that kind of like feel, and then the second song, um, I forget the name, it has these like Spanish type of horns coming in. Oh, it's the one the one with Thug.

Um yeah, no, no, that's the one with Future. That's Future, yeah, yeah, shit. Royal Flush. Okay. Royal Flush. Yes, yeah. So yeah, it does take you on kind of a ride. I have to say, man, the one song I easily could have done without is the fucking Eminem stan reimagining. Queen's gone cold. I'm wondering why. Boo on that song. And I'm sorry. Like, I don't know if it's just me. I've never liked drill already, but even just really trying to look past that as a music fan and appreciate something for what it is. Bro, It was corny as fuck. I fucking hate that one. man. It was corny. It doesn't, the mix isn't good on it. Um it's just these basic little drill hats and hats and snare over a timeless fucking song. I mean, it was Dido's song first. Eminem obviously remade it, and that's a perfect song, Stan. Like, I don't say perfect song a lot. Stan is a perfect song 100%.

Obviously. To go and just like, you know, talk about the lean going cold over that on a just like a regular ass fucking beat to me, man. Disrespectful. Oh, man, I wouldn't I can't believe they got it cleared, honestly. Like, it was not they must have dropped the bag. Oh, they definitely dropped the bag on that one. And I feel like money could have been well spent. Yeah, do you think Dido had to uh approve it? Absolutely. No, I'm saying like the specific song, or does she just get like a number thrown at her and she's like, whatever, fuck it. I think it's all the same to Dido. I don't think she gives a fuck. She's catching them dollars. Bruh. The royalties from Stan Alone are going nuts. She can she doesn't have to make it. She alive, by the way. I just I don't know. We could just be talking. It's yeah, it's not that old. I don't know. Doesn't matter really. how old. I'm not wrong on that, but I'm pretty sure she's alive collecting these royalties. Damn, bro. Um, no, I I think you know, just to wrap up kind of you know, shrim life uh for or shrimp for life, excuse me. I think that what makes those two so special is that they with Black Beatles, once again, no disrespect to any of the projects, you know, before Shrim 3, but Black Beatles sent them into another stratosphere, I would say.

Yeah, and that song was such a cultural moment. Like, as rap fans and and music fans in general. Everyone's tried to figure out what their challenge could be after that. Yeah. And we just we just eat that shit up of like what song actually like changed the trajectory for artists. And I think that it gave, you know, hip hop and rap artists the ability to treat themselves like rock stars. As like cliche as that sounds, me even saying it, but I really do think that before then it wasn't like that, really, bro. Like, yeah, I think it was heading there, but they sped up the pace, maybe. They they just owned that shit. Yeah, right. And really the way they were dressing and the way they were acting, I mean, just the shows they were putting on, bro. Like, they really were living the rock star life. Uh uh, yeah, Sway Lee's uh told a story about his favorite place to perform. They performed in like a Greco Roman Coliseum.

That's fire. He was like, bro, 300 was shot in this bitch, I swear to God, type shit. And he was like, and here I am performing there, right? And that's real rock star shit, bro. That's not that's just that's not some regular rapper shit. No, not at all. So that's overseas, baby. Yeah, shout out to those guys, man, for absolutely changing the, you know, I guess making it okay uh and like acceptable and cool for rap and hip hop artists, and like, you know, they'll admit it, they're not the most rappity-rap motherfuckers at all, right? I mean, they were making like poppy music to some degree, yeah. But just kind of just running with that whole rock star thing, like really changed the the game, bro. To be honest, do you have a favorite album? One, two, three, or four. Ah, shit. I'd have to look back. I didn't even dig back in. It's been so long since some of those other tapes, man. To be honest, I was looking back at uh yeah, the track list for all of them. There's God. They're all good. They're all great. I this is one of my favorite rap acts, you know. Uh, but I one is hard to beat, man. Like, one were the killer, yeah.

Like, what were the killer tracks off that? You got you got no type. Oh, okay. Obviously. So good. You got um, I don't want to, I yeah, I don't even want to just embarrass myself. Let me call out a couple here. Let's see it. It's just some of the real OG Yeah, no type is the shit that really got you like no flex zone. No flex zone, obviously. Throw some mo. Oh god, never mind. Unlock the swag with Jace. Yeah. Shout out to Jace. Unlock the swag, the swag, unlock. Come on, bro. Like, there's some fire on there. I'm up like Trump. Like, that was before it's time. That was pre-Trump president. You know what I mean? But shout out to Mac Miller. He actually had the Donald Trump song. Even before that, I think. But no, those guys, you know, shout out to them. I'm glad they're back. Me too. I'm glad they're back. Absolutely. It just feels like, you know, they weren't even broken up though, so we're making it feel probably like it's not like a Migos situation. Yeah, like settle down.

Yeah. They're good. Yeah. They're family. So like they were okay this whole time, I think, right? We as the outsiders looking in, definitely like blew it up into a different dimension, I would say. And hopefully, one of the songs that was recorded here with Slim Jimmy can find the light of day one day, one day. I don't know, we'll see. But you know, just yeah. She like one more time, and part of one more time, but they she like one more time, and part of one more time.