Hip-Hop is a world that allows for unlimited creativity or innovation, but I feel like artists often find themselves conforming to social norms or expectations rather than staying true to themselves and actually trying to do something different or unexpected. I think that’s why I’ve always been so drawn to the $uicideboy$, because even though their music can be extremely intense or over the top, they just never settle for average and do everything they can to take their creations to the next level.
Although they’ve been relatively quiet in the past few years compared to when they first took the scene by storm, it seems like they’re going back to their old ways in 2023 and dropping new music left and right. I couldn’t be happier, because I used to listen to their music like it was my job, but their latest YIN YAN TAPES saga is definitely game-changing. This 4-part EP series named after the seasons will gift fans new music every Friday for 4 weeks straight in May, so while 2 parts have already released, we’re only halfway there.
I just think this concept is so cool because instead of just dropping 16 songs and letting certain cuts get overshadowed by others, we can actually sit with a smaller sample size of records to appreciate them for what they are. So far, Spring Season and Summer Season have been released, and both are certainly another innovative spin on the dark, ominous, and illustrious sound that they’ve crafted. Each song has a consistent aesthetic as if you’re listening on an old radio with bad reception, and the vocals are almost in the background rather than the main attraction, but it provides this oddly peaceful vibe that I think might stem from the fact that these words are a lot less in your face than the duo has shared in the past.
Beyond this, only one feature appears on either of these installments, and it is fittingly Ghostemane, one of the only people in the world that can seamlessly match the vibe of the $uicideboy$. In fact, according to the press release, this marks the first time in over three years that a non-Grey 59 member has appeared on an $B track, so I think they certainly made a splash with their first two EP segments. It goes without saying that die-hard fans are surely going to be glued to their streaming platforms for the remaining few weeks in May, so I’ll see you all there while we wait for the final 2 seasons of the YIN YAN TAPES to drop!