Rap Blog: ALLBLACK is still it

Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song written by Vivian Medithi and Nadine Smith.

There’s an unexpected continuum between the West Coast and Michigan’s high work rate rap scene, two totally divergent landscapes that are home to similar styles, all trunk-ready 808s and dexterously wordy flows. Take a track like “John Madden” from Drakeo the Ruler, where the late Los Angeles legend and his regular tag partner Ralfy the Plug go bar for bar in a tongue-twisting cypher with Rio da Yung OG, RMC Mike, and honorary Michigander Lil Yachty — despite the regional differences, the loose posse sound like they could’ve been rapping together in the same parking lot for years.

Oakland’s ALLBLACK has become a pillar of the Bay Area, deftly sliding between slick G-funk and raw bars. His sound is quintessentially classic California, draped in vintage R&B samples and 808 cowbells, but his sly humor and nimble delivery keep it fresh and in the present. On “It’s It” from his new album Slow Motion Better Than No Motion, ALLBLACK reunites with Detroit rapper and regular collaborator Cash Kidd, walking us through a day in the life of a smooth operator.

Over a woozy synth loop and rattling bass drum, the pair cruise around in search of trouble, whether it’s stealing your girl or challenging you to a Paul Walker-style street race: “We can go bar for bar or we can race for pink slips.” ALLBLACK confidentiality tosses out his verses with a clipped rhythm, but he’s not afraid to get a little goofy either, busting out a little karaoke rendition of the chorus from Rose Royce’s “Ooh Boy,” which West Coast rap heads might recognize from its interpolation on Candyman’s playfully flirtatious “Knockin’ Boots.”