Tenkay: “Tattoo”
Clicking on Tenkay's SoundCloud page is like traveling back in time to 2012. There, the Houston native has his take on Lil B's cooking songs, Ruben Slikk's hooky freestyles, Texas dance rap, intergalactic Atlanta mixes hosted by DJ Spinz and DJ Scream, frat rapper Juicy J, early Chicago workout and more. Sometimes it goes beyond nostalgia (Dani Kiyoko's 'Shoppin Spree'). Other times it feels like an imitation designed for kids who don't remember that era (“#34 Bitches Suck My Dick #Based and #Proper Freestyle”). I tend to prefer music that isn't so connected to his influences, like “Tattoo,” from his chaotically fun new mixtape, Shine Back. The beat (by Finlince, SonOfSam and Diego) is stuttering with that unique sound effect that reminds you of falling to your death in an arcade game. It has a background of Tenkay's unusual melodic raps, which combine flex, heavy emotions and of course, references to rap past: This time it's Project Pat's “Choose U” and “Mr. Perfect.”
With artists releasing songs fast and furious, it's hard for the average hip-hop head to keep track of them all — no matter how well-rounded they are. That's why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
Check out the past and hear new raps from Tenkay and more on our Spotify playlist.
