“UNDER8ED” – Pardison Fontaine (2019) [Mitch Nick’s Picks]

I’m switching it up quite a bit this week and sharing Pardison Fontaine’s album “UNDER8ED”. People who know me would be quite surprised with this pick as I’ve been guilty of almost religiously listening to “old school” hip hop but I’m here to prove them wrong a bit too. I could be considered a hip-hop purist but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate or actually enjoy modern-era rap dealing with a lot of topics I simply can’t relate to or have no business relating to anyway.

Some of you may have heard of him recently due to his breakup with Megan Thee Stallion but I got turned onto his music from his single “Food Stamps” (which goes hard by the way). I like full projects though, so I decided to listen to his first album “UNDER8ED”. I like it overall and feel like it is a smooth listen packed with a good amount of energy. Energy is something I think a lot of modern rap does well. Pardi opens with “Not There Yet” where I think he establishes himself well and gets a lot off his chest. He demonstrates a fair amount of variation in his flow, delivery and production throughout the project and there’s also a lot of creativity which you would expect from someone with his background as he is not only a rapper but also an accomplished songwriter.

Pardison Fontaine actually has quite the resume working with a lot of very well-known artists such as Ye, Cardi B, and of course Megan Thee Stallion. He notably even penned Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow”. In fact, his penmanship has won him two Grammys with a dozen nominations. Now, I don’t really have much to say for rappers (or anyone really) who use ghostwriters but more power to the one actually putting pen to paper (or maybe finger to keyboard). I respect the craft immensely.

Anyway, give UNDER8ED a listen and see what you think for yourself. It has features from Jadakiss, Offset, Jeremih and City Girls. I like the energy of “Southside” and feel like you can vibe out to several of the other tracks like “Good For You”, “Rodman” and “Sometimes”. Also, listen out for the sample in “Shea Butter” and see what it reminds you of.

Pardison Fontaine.The king of talking shit and backing it up – sparing no expense.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l7zRvs8M9k8mvzyBu0bQ_jI-tnSKXA7_0