The FADER's weekly column What Rules highlights our office's new obsessions.
Who are they?
Name: Iceeapher
Style: Laidback, sing-y rap with catchy as hell hooks that'll ease you right into the night's festivities.
Location: Vallejo, CA
Why should I listen?
Soul For Real’s “Candy Rain” is one of those gems many deem an untouchable classic. When I’d heard just a few seconds of it on Lul G’s Instagram story a few months ago, I immediately clicked on the handle he’d tagged to get to the full version of whatever was playing. G’s original post, a little friendly support and promo for fellow Vallejo artist Iceeapher, led me to his then-new song and video “Counterfeit” featuring Lil Yee. To my surprise, it was an actually great, feel-good flip on the classic, and has since been one of the best surprise additions to the summer rotation.
Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that the rest of the his music is pretty great, too. Iceeapher has a cool, laidback delivery, getting a little sing-y on his hooks in particular. It’s there where the catchy magic lies — his words connect from front to back, flowing in and out of themselves, kind of like how iron fibers follow the little magnetic rods in those plastic boxes you played with in science class.
A recent favorite by him is “Easy Kill,” a track from his new Overlooked And Underpromised tape. The song, produced by Paupa and featuring SOBxRBE's Lul G, hits that sweet spot between turnt-up and chill. It's a great sampling of the rest of his music — songs you'd want to put on when you're at the house with friends, kicking back and plotting on what to get into later in the night.
