Wednesday 11/4: Teejayx6—"Stimulus Package" Feat. Boldy James, Kasher Quon, and BandGang Lonnie
Today, we share our thoughts on a loaded Detroit rap track by scam rapper Teejayx6.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a loaded Detroit rap track by scam rapper Teejayx6.
Teejayx6—"Stimulus Package" Feat. Boldy James, Kasher Quon, and BandGang Lonnie
Michael Brooks:
God is real. I know this to be true because my prayers have been answered and “Stimulus Package” is real and it’s everything I could have ever asked for and so much more. Detroit rapper Teejayx6, an artist I bring up in conversation as much as possible, dropped his latest mixtape Spooky on Halloween, featuring a collaborative closer with Kasher Quon, Bandgang Lonnie, and Boldy James called “Stimulus Package”—because nothing could ever possibly top that. Oh yeah, and this track is produced by the fucking Alchemist of all people, and the fact that something like this, which combines all of the things in the world that I hold dear, exists in the first place leads me to believe there’s a higher being somewhere out there in the universe that’s rooting for me to succeed.
Even though Teejayx6’s surrealistic bravado and Boldy’s gritty yet disciplined flow may seem like an odd pair on paper, both artists are Detroit through and through, and their styles perfectly contrast against one another over Alchemist’s warm production. For the first half of the song Teejayx6 and Kasher Quon trade bars with one another, and although their verses aren’t as bizarre or entertaining as what we’ve come to expect from them, there’s still plenty of quotables to be had. Up next we have Boldy James and Bandgang Lonnie teaming up, which is really something you have to hear to believe. But much like dipping some fries into your Frosty (Wendy’s sponsor the newsletter challenge) it somehow just. . .works?
My favorite thing, though, is that the whole thing sounds like the only reference for the song that each rapper had when they went to go and record their parts was somebody in the other room describing the beat to them. “Stimulus Package” is woozy and rough around the edges, if you check out the newsletter for hyperpop coverage DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS SONG, and even though it’s far from being the apex mountain for any of the people involved, it’s the most important thing in the world to me in this moment. Sometimes that’s enough.
Eli Enis:
I’m writing this on the morning of Nov. 4th, the day after the U.S. presidential election. I say this because there’s no reason why anyone in this country should be writing or thinking about anything else right now other than our failed democracy and the horrifying yet also somewhat predictable outcome of election day, which is that Joe Biden failed to decimate Donald Trump despite the *gestures broadly* of his last four years in office. Like I said, there’s really nothing that could strip me away from nervously refreshing the swing state results as the mail-in ballots get slowly counted, but a Teejayx6 song featuring Boldy James that was produced by The Alchemist is one of them.
It’s the most Michael Brooks song that’s ever been composed. I honestly think he’s the scammer all along and he set this whole track up as some elaborate prank, because it’s literally uncannily emblematic about everything Michael Brooks stands for. Personally, I’m more excited that this track exists than I am moved by the song itself. Although I never need to hear Boldy James rap over anyone else’s beats besides The Alchemist for the rest of my life, I think his verse is kind of lacking here and I actually think Teejayx6 and Kasher Quon steal the show. Their shifty deliveries make them sound like home intruders scampering behind bureaus no matter what instrumental they occupy, and here they sound both out of place and strangely at home atop this ornate Alchemist track. It’s wild to think that all of these guys appeared on one song together, and that’s definitely the novelty of it. But I can’t help but wonder whether this legendary lineup is a sign of the end times or slightly better days. Back to the votes, I suppose.