I feel like, for a casual music fan, producers don’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve. They’re the ones creating the foundation for a hit, and no matter how much energy or personality an artist brings to the table, a song doesn’t have a chance to succeed without a great instrumental. CHASETHEMONEY is a producer who has been making some of my favorite songs to date, and his minimalistic, drum-heavy style is one that many other producers try to mimic, but they’re never able to do so nearly as well as CTM, in my opinion. His production has worked seamlessly with Valee’s nonchalant, carefree demeanor over the years, but seeing him bring this special panache to other artists is always something that draws me in because it definitely pushes many rappers out of their comfort zones unlike ever before.
Most recently, he recruited Memphis icon Duke Deuce to hop on his latest track “Jack N Jill”, and the results speak for themselves. I wasn’t sure how Duke would fit in over a CTM beat because he’s one of the most energetic, lively characters in the entire Rap scene, but his skills are abundant and his ability to adapt to this style of production seemed natural to him, to say the least. For the beat, CHASETHEMONEY uses crisp, spread out percussion combined with even more divided 808s and rising elements that provide a dark, almost sinister vibe that transports your mind to another dimension.
As Duke comes in for the initial hook, he chops his words up at the beginning of each line before getting much hastier to end each bar, hurrying up his words before resetting his cadence and doing it all over again. As he raises and lowers the intonation within his voice, his ad-libs provide even more vigorousness to the track, bouncing along on the simplistic instrumental, truly showing off his personality perfectly. Considering he is such a captivating figure, the simple beat allows for his personality to shine through in such a clean, unmuddied fashion that is sure to make any listener a fan of his if they somehow weren’t already.
In his verse, he slows his cadence down ever so slightly while getting more consistent with his words, showing off a flow that is very reminiscent of the prevailing cadence that Houston native Maxo Kream has become known for. As he makes his way throughout the verse, he slowly but surely incorporates more enthusiasm into his delivery, building up the vitality of the song while alluding to some major breakout moment that never actually comes, but the buildup is all I really needed, to be honest. Background layers boast pitched up and pitched down vocals, coupling with his main vocals perfectly, bringing even more interesting sounds to the forefront before one final chorus leads us out of this hit.
Although the beat is minimal, it just rides out and gives a perfect base for Duke to show off his plethora of skills and his captivating personality. Duke’s voice simply gives this song even more depth through natural elements he incorporates throughout all of his music in general, so the recruitment of his talents for this record is clear and obvious. While other producers seem to try and break through barriers and test out different styles, CTM looks past this experimentation because his sound already works so well with a variety of different artists, it’s almost like he goes with the old saying of if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. That’s not to say he is lazy or uninventive, but rather to say he has found his niche in a world full of copycats and he has mastered this style of production, so there’s legitimately no reason for him to change things up whatsoever. Due to this unique style and the abundance of bangers he has put out over the years, CHASETHEMONEY has become one of my overall favorite producers, and I don’t think my admiration for his work is going to come to an end anytime soon. “Jack N Jill” is yet another hit that can be added to the vast repertoire of CTM’s discography, so make sure you tune into this hit as soon as you possibly can.