The Washington Post Weekend - USA (2020-11-27)

EZ

THE

WASHINGTON

POST

.

FRIDAY,

NOVEMBER

27, 2020

Noochie featuring Alex

Vaughn, “Sense”

The DMV has an abundance of

rappers who, regardless of the

subgenre they operate within,

have a relentless work ethic, regu-

larly dropping loose tracks or

even bite-size mix tapes to keep

their listeners occupied. But what

the area doesn’t have is a wealth

of artists who feel as if they’re

groomed for the next level in

terms of having music that’s pal-

atable to people outside of this

community. Southeast D.C.’s

Noochie is distinctive because he

has music that is both raw, street-

level storytelling and something

that you can imagine hearing on a

sports commercial.

Active on the scene for years,

Noochie favors a traditional, Lil

Wayne-esque approach rather

than what’s trendy in the area.

And because of that, he checks off

all the boxes on the rapper check-

list. Like the New Orleans legend,

no beat is safe with Noochie. On

his Instagram feed (@noochie-

music) there are freestyles over

beats from songs by Chicago’s

Mick Jenkins, New York’s West-

side Gunn, and Virginia icon

Pusha T. When he’s not flexing his

muscle in that way, Noochie can

give introspective and observant

accounts that are radio-ready.

“Sense,” from his Halloween-

released “Sneaky Tape,” is an ex-

ample of that. With Prince

George’s County singer Alex

Vaughn handling a chorus that

ensures that any criticism of their

community comes from a place of

love, he raps: “Everybody getting

old but ain’t nobody getting

grown / How you supposed to be a

grown man when you ain’t even

your own man?” If the same song

were rapped on a trunk-rattling

beat, it may have come off as

confrontational. But the soft gui-

tar strums and sparse drums here

suggest a softer, more concerned

look at the world that Noochie is

living in.

Deetranada, “Help!”

The 19-year-old Baltimore rap-

per and former finalist on Jer-

maine Dupri’s teen competition

show, “The Rap Game,” has finally

been able to step into her artistry

as a young adult. Transitioning

from the spotlight as an adoles-

cent has proved to be a tough go

for many before her — specifically

in hip-hop, where any inclination

toward innocence is scoffed at —

but with the music she’s been

releasing over the past 18 months,

it feels like her continued im-

provement is steadily outgrowing

her former role on the show.

Deetranada is a rare talent in

terms of her ability to shape-shift

SEE MUSIC ON 6

Music

BY LAWRENCE BURNEY

With the region’s hip-hop and
R&B scene in a state of perpetual
invention, area artists continue to
generate music worthy of nation-
al attention and hometown ado-
ration. This column rounds up
some of the most captivating,
entertaining and essential new
songs, projects and music videos
coming from the DMV — from
Northern Virginia to Baltimore
and everywhere between.

FreakY, “Force”

FreakY sharpened his skills in
the Baltimore alternative scene,
specifically at a now-defunct
warehouse space called the Bell
Foundry where rappers from all
over the region congregated to
establish a rich culture of experi-
mentation. (The standout track
“1539 N. Calvert” from JPEGMA-
FIA, who frequently collaborates
with FreakY, is a homage to the
place.) Like many of the artists
that used the Bell as their unoffi-
cial headquarters, FreakY’s mu-
sic, and the way he presents it,
oscillates between trap, abstract
musings and comedy.
On Halloween the Frederick
rapper released his “Red Hot
Cheeto Fingers 2” mix tape; the
project’s artwork is a customized
Air Force 1 sneaker that features
an illustration of the Flaming Hot
Cheetos bag. The song titles alone
(“Struggle Porn,” “Big Ass Telfar
Bag,” and “At The Hiltons Room
2034,” to name a few) will hook
you, but you’ll soon find out that
most have no relation to the
lyrical content.
“Force,” one of the more con-
servatively titled tracks, is a
standout. It finds FreakY regurgi-
tating the media we’re fed on a
regular basis — if not to caution
us against it, then at least to
convey how maddening it is to
hear the same thing over and
over. Repeated echoey synth
burps and dirty bass are a con-
stant as he rhymes words like
inoculation, self-degradation,
vaccination and military bases in
a muffled delivery.
Politically and socially aware
music isn’t out of FreakY’s typical
approach. Before the 2016 elec-
tion, he and JPEGMAFIA
dropped the satirical “I Might
Vote 4 Donald Trump,” a track
that poked fun at the idea of
Trump thinking he’d secure a
victory. The two were off in their
assumption of him losing, but like
“Force,” it showed that FreakY
had a solid grasp on how to make
heads knock while adding assess-
ing much of what’s pushed on us
as a society.

The strong force of D.C.-area hip-hop

DIAMOND DIXON

TONY LAVOY

Noochie provides introspective and observant

accounts that are radio-ready on “Sense.”

GUY THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Baltimore hip-hop artist Deetranada displays

sharp lyrical acrobatics on “Help!”

On “Force,” Frederick rapper FreakY lays his rhymes

over echoey synth burps and dirty bass.

RIP KNOXX

On “Jill Scott — Loves Me (New Club Waves Edit),”

CalvoMusic adds flair with bongos.