The Atlanta rapper leaves the candy-coated comfort zone of his previous mixtape and stands out in a competitive rap lane.
If Tony Shhnow had been a part of the Atlanta rap scene over a decade ago, he probably would have been laying down verses in Zaytoven’s mother’s basement. The twenty-something-year-old raps as if he spent his teenage years immersed in the music of Southern trap stars like Gucci Mane, Bankroll Fresh, Young Scooter, and that era of Soulja Boy when he really liked Lex Luger beats. Regardless of the heavy inspiration, Tony doesn’t quite make music that fits neatly into any subgenre. On his 2020 mixtape Dis Should Hold U Over, he raps about the same hustles that have been at the core of his region’s most recognizable hip-hop for generations, though it sounds like it takes place in a fantasy of rainbows and unicorns because of bubbly Cashcache production. This juxtaposition has helped Tony carve out a lane for himself in the underground of arguably rap’s most competitive city.
But in an unexpected twist, Tony Shhnow abandons this candy-coated comfort zone on Kill Streak. The album is entirely produced by versatile New Jersey beatmaker GRiMM Doza, who laces Tony with brooding instrumentals that meet somewhere in the middle of Dilla-influenced beat loops and the East Coast flash of Dame Grease. It’s an extreme shift.
Before Kill Streak, Tony’s songs were more of a mood than anything else, and it was less about what he was saying and more about his slick delivery. But that’s not the case here; it’s almost like a long radio freestyle with a rotating selection of loops and DJ drops that resemble the devilish Evil Empire tags. The album also disregards regional rap barriers. It’s not often you hear of a rapper opting to drastically stray from production with local ties. (This is part of what made a collaboration like Migos and Alchemist feel like such a novelty.) But Tony’s switch-up feels earnest and not just for the sake of being unique. Most importantly, he seamlessly transfers his Southern flair to Doza’s chilly beats. “Pistol in my jeans, this bitch hold up my pants/I’m so in love with money in public, we hold hands,” says Tony on “SFX Room,” in a laid-back flow that would be just as effective on standard Atlanta fare as it is here.
On a few occasions, Tony sounds out of his element. Tracks like “Palm Reader” and “DOD,” on the backend of Kill Streak, feel as if they were originally a capellas and forcibly merged with the production. Nevertheless, Tony Shhnow and GRiMM Doza catch a groove. “I’m from the street, ain’t never had shit, don’t know how to treat the fans/I know how to bag work, flip money, and use my fuckin’ hands,” raps Tony on “Many Men,” flexing his wordplay on a Doza beat that sounds made to play in your earbuds through a brutal walk to the corner store in the Northeast winter. And “Waist Deep” shows how the pair are able to complement each other without having to temper their love for their respective regional influences: Doza’s gloomy beat would have ended up on Coke Wave in another timeline, and Tony rhymes like the student of Gucci he is. Collectively, the two embrace their roots, even as they venture into unfamiliar territory.
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