February 8 marks the birthday of one of my very favorite DJs, RL Grime. His work has evolved over the years from remixes to complex tracks featuring beats that are equal parts tasty and grimy (pun intended). So in honor of this trap star's birthday “This Week’s 5 Best Songs” is dedicated to you, RL Grime. Call it a birthday gift.
1. Pockets
From his High Beams EP, “Pockets” is just a glimpse into RL Grime’s talent and future. He does an excellent job of melding electro sounds with hip hop. You get a nice intro featuring drums with a relatively simple bassline that slaps.
2. Love Sosa (Remix)
One of his earlier tracks, RL Grime remixed this song originally by Chief Keef, turning it into one his classics (it hit more than one million views on Youtube ). The first drop acts as a build up to the second drop with some heavy bass that’ll make you want to fist pump.
3. Scylla
If I were to come up with a music video for this song it would start with a spy, on a mission, who ends up in a well-choreographed fight. You can hear the evolution of the track through each of the drops, making it what I like to call a “banger."
4. Aurora
This is what I would refer to as a “cinematic” track. For a better understanding of what I mean by that, I highly recommend that you watch the music video (see above). You get a stellar view of the earth, as a GoPro is sent into space. The suspense builds before its descent back to earth matched with a killer beat.
5. Waiting ft. What So Not and Skrillex
RL Grime’s newest song, a collaboration with fellow DJs What So Not and Skrillex, is a complex blend of sounds. You can hear RL Grime’s signature use of drums throughout the song, while an eerie voice tells you to “pick up the phone” and answer the call of this great jam.