Philly rapper Asaad is dropping a bunch of surprise new music and it’s awesome

We talked this fall about Philly rapper Asaad and how awesomely unpredictable he is. That continued in force over the past few days, which he spend dropping random bursts of fire on his Soundcloud. Some of it seems like sketches for a future projects, while others are fully formed and totally sick. Let’s have a look.

“Shark Tank”

This one has him ruminating over his independence and ambitions over vibes and keys, while keeping himself in check: “Lord knows I repent for my sins / Fuckin’ with my kin, hell will be your second skin.” It’s possibly the most fully formed of the songs, and would make sweet intro track on a mixtape.

“Lab”

This one vibes over hard-hitting trap beats and awesome lyrical bits. “Set another goal, check another goal / gettin’ healthy money, eatin’ vegetables” is a favorite of mine, as is the part where he exclaims “No I don’t live in ARDMORE.”

“Flamethrower”

Very short: a minute and 8, the most unfinished feeling of the bunch. But it’s got inspired lyrics about staying true to yourself – “if you know what’s good for you, trust your heart” – and has a trippy Knxledge beat where an old R&B sample cross-fades from speaker to speaker.

“Easy”

My favorite beat of the bunch care of DJ Nitro gives this one a slick, classic 70s disco / TSOP backdrop with introspective rhymes that move in step with the other new joints: “the heart gets what the heart wants / get your heart wit it, don’t front.”