It's hard to view “Blow Up” and “If I Stop Now,” the new songs from Kentucky rapper EST Gee, as anything other than an attempt to reassert his dominance as one of the strongest and most versatile street rappers working today. Fortunately, his effort is pretty convincing.
"Blow Up" has a mafioso-inspired mood beneath booming 808s, with Gee issuing threats in his now-iconic dim-lidded mutter (the chorus at one joint interpolates Juvenile's "Slow Motion). By contrast, Gee gets vulnerable and melodic on "If I Stop Now," a pain rap-tinged cut outlining the stakes of his success and their effects on his daily life and mental health. Hear them in their music videos, streaming above and below.
EST Gee released two albums in 2022: I Never Felt Nun and Last Ones Left, a full-length collaboration with Detroit rapper 42 Dugg. That album's track "Thump Shit" was ranked at No. 32 on our Best of 2022 songs list.
