Smoke DZA is quietly one of the most consistent rappers on hiphop’s current “street album” underground. Starting with the awesomely titled George Kush da Button, DZA has rocked a string of free, album-quality releases high on, well, high subject matter (hence the loose #Jets affiliation). Maybe owing to his preferred state, he’s subtle, not as boisterous or playful as contemporaries Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y, which has probably kept him from sharing their level of popularity.
His upcoming project Rolling Stoned aims at “real” album status with an iTunes release, and first single “4 Loko” is sure to turn heads, and not the Linda Blair way the beverage does (especially the fire hydrant vomiting). Yes, it borrows the Houston sound of odes to codeine over intoxicating/ed sonics, and yes, these days DZA and hook man ASAP Rocky have more in common with Mr. Mike than Ma$e, but this one is screwed in the realest sense of the word: twisting deeper into darkness, blackout incoming with any sense of orientation dimming. Compromised minor chords and uneasy guitar shrills give a gritty feeling of abandon only heightened by the video. DZA looks sloppy in his polo; ASAP’s shirt is on, then it’s off; 4 Loko seeps from a man’s mouth before more goes in; an ATV bucks in the Harlem streets. A BMW suddenly looks less luxurious. A creepy drug haze as thick as syrup prevails, all rolls slowed while wading through drab dopeness.