Listen to Tenkay’s “Tattoo”: New Rap Music Today

Tenkay: “Tattoo”

Clicking through Tenkay’s SoundCloud page is like time traveling back to 2012. There the Houston native has his take on Lil B cooking songs, horny Ruben Slikk freestyles, Texas dance rap, intergalactic Atlanta mixtapes hosted by DJ Spinz and DJ Scream, frat rap Juicy J, early Chicago drill, and much more. Sometimes it transcends nostalgia (the Dani Kiyoko-produced “Shoppin Spree”); other times it feels like an imitation designed for kids who don’t remember that era (“#34 Bitches Suck My Dick #Based and #Proper Freestyle”). I tend to prefer the music that isn’t so anchored to his influences, like “Tattoo,” off his chaotically fun new mixtape Shine Back. The beat (by Finlince, SonofSam, and Diego) is stuttering madness with this one sound effect that recalls falling to your death in an arcade game. It backdrops Tenkay’s shot-out-of-a-cannon melodic raps, which weave together flexes, heavy emotions, and naturally, references to rap of the past: This time it’s Project Pat’s “Choose U” and Gucci Mane’s “Mr. Perfect.”

With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.

Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Tenkay and more on our Spotify playlist.