Papo2oo4 steps up with new project 'Papaholics, Vol. 1'

Sometimes you can hear a project and it doesn't necessarily remind you of a genre but more interestingly, a platform. From the onset, 'Papaholics Vol.1' has that DatPiff feel, the heavy 24-track project and impatient manner in which Papo2oo4 and Subjxct 5 jump from style to style all have that classic mixtape energy. Such a mammoth tracklist feels less like an algorithm hack and more like a throwback, which concludes with the fantastic track 04 Range.

Although reminiscent of the DJ-hosted tapes of my younger years, many production cues are refined in a contemporary manner. This is also complimented with a refreshing anonymity, Papo2oo4 sounds like he's an East Coaster but this is juxtaposed by the borderless identity of the instrumentals he performs on, all culminating in my failure to guess where he's from. Of course, some tracks point you in a general direction, none more so than the stand-out track; 'Counter Strike'.

This track sounds like summer. Sounds like summer soundtracked by an amalgamation of Max B and the most powerful version of 50 Cent. The luscious synths coalesce with the beautiful vocal samples over a stuttering beat and chest rocking basslines all created by the alchemist that is Subjxct 5. The euphoric soundscape could've appeared on FKA Twigs’ latest project and would've lent itself nicely to her otherworldly artistry but here it's the backdrop of inner-city exploration. 'Suicide Squad Deadshot, Counter-Strike/Had the unlimited creps, need them deadstock/Got this life shit in a headlock/Young money shawty says she want me make her bedrock’, too wavy. The comic book mention, PC gamer references, utilisation of UK/Caribbean slang and late noughties tie-ins all set the foundation for an infectious and barely decipherable performance that contributes well to the growing zeitgeist that is Hip-Hop’s Postmodern Expressionism.

With barely 15,000 Spotify listeners, we give appreciation to the YouTube algorithm that blessed me with this project. The production vacillates between the groovy basslines and aforementioned rumbling 808 stabs, whilst frontman Papo2oo4 manoeuvres in a self-assured manner regardless of the low end. The beat is like the buttery soft leather interior of a classic car within which Papo2oo4 finds himself sinking ever so slightly into it. Plucking from America’s cultural lexicon and then focusing on the minutiae of his life that goes far beyond my British understanding, Papo2oo4 has crafted a piece of art that came to me amid this island’s radiant weather.

All praise is due. Check out the project and music video for 'Counter Strike' right here at CGuk.