Richmond, VA, has something special on its hands with dynamic rapper/emcee Monday Night, whose laid-back sound toes the line of sophistication and grittiness, as he nonchalantly raps over flipped soul samples with a tone tailored to rap, and the resulting product is some of the smoothest sonics out there. Seldom shy of collaborating, Monday Night is constantly sharing airtime on tracks with some of the underground’s greats like Fly Anakin, Big Kahuna OG, Nitty Blanco, and ANKHLEJOHN, among others, and it’s this ‘iron sharpens iron’ approach that has aided him in accruing a continually growing fanbase and stand-out sound. His June collaboration with Chicago-based producer DVNTBEATS is a shining example of that, featuring him deep in his bag, with some of his most emotive verses pronounced atop a collection of masterful production on their collab tape, Long Story Short, and the project’s opening track, Bonjour is straight up special.
Monday Night is easily one of the most consistent figures of underground rap, and his persistent output is a statement that he’s not only here to stay, but also evolve. Since 2022, he has dropped four full-length projects; each is cohesive and filled to the brim with quality cuts. Personally, since stumbling across him, it’s almost been impossible for me not to instinctually sit back, hit shuffle on his discography, and get lost in the sleek sounds. Throughout his output, Monday voices this casual delivery – in an almost conversational tone – that aids in another layer of his art’s individuality as he drops some of the craziest deep-take sports references I’ve ever heard over an mp3. Funnily enough, it was his track Kurt Warner that caught my attention last year, a downtempo song meant for reclining that claimed a mainstay spot in my rotation for the longest. More than that, though, Monday is very much a three-dimensional artist, unafraid to be candid in his art about the anxiety he faces and the vices he masks it with. This authenticity of his pen bleeds through his growing discography, and I have no doubt that his tracks’ charisma and compelling sound will catch the recognition they deserve in the very near future.
On his track Bonjour, Monday reflects on worse times over a stirring soul sample brought to us by Pastelle Records’ very own DVNTBEATS. Their chemistry is on full display across the album’s seven tracks, but it’s particularly apparent on Bonjour. The track is nothing short of a masterclass featuring Monday’s signature composed delivery atop DVNTBEATS’ addictingly loopy production. Beyond the video being shot in familiar territory for me, five blocks south of my university’s campus, the track itself holds a special place in my library, and I can’t wait for the rest of the scene to open its eyes to it. Tap in with Bonjour using the links below.