I first read about Diplo and Santigold's Top Ranking Mixtape and wasn't inclined to pick it up. Santigold's '08 album barely missed my top 10 and as a pop album I dug her ferocity (describing her as MIA meets Gwen Stefani). I introduced Santigold to the my circle of friends and they too (for whatever reason) made certain compromises and indulged, repping Santigold and her tasteful pop sound. So as my friend Tony and I meandered through Amoeba looking for any smart finds, the Top Ranking red/florescent blue album cover and yellow GOLD jumped out at us. (ironically Diplo should have been the first name we noticed) I told Tony I had read about it and thought he should get it (secretely knowing that I would burn it...cheap I know). Already on a shoping spree, basket bulging with Hendrix and Madlib records, he tossed the disc in, becoming one of the many (perhaps not the most important) buys of the evening. Through multiple burning attempts and trips to Tony's house, burning forgetting, burning, forgetting, I finally got around to hearing the album in full and can officially say I should have jumped on this Mix Tape sooner. It starts out on fire with "Unstoppable" mix of 3-6 Mafia's "Late Night" and continues to the center of the disc where an '80s vibe comes alive and highlights what Santigold is all about. The record tends to drop out towards the end, but, overall it is a great way to rejuvenate Santigold's '08 debut.
Flash forward a day later:
I was browsing Fader and saw Terry Urban and Goldcoin's Southergold Mixtape that include tracks 'Unfreakable Girl" and "Still Tippin' It." "Unfreakable Girl" features Gucci Mane (mixing the beat from Sant's "Unstoppable") and "Still Tippin' It" features Slim Thug and Mike Jones (mixing "Shove It"). Now, if you aren't a huge fan of southern rap, then these tracks might tarnish your Santigold music.
Personally, I could live without the songs and normally I wouldn't have bothered to post them in the squeeze let alone devote a full paragraph of type. BUT, these tracks show that Santigold is not only a mainstream success, she is respected by her peers. She has reached southern rappers, electro DJ's, brooklyn elites like Jay Z, the list goes on. Her S/Trecord was perhaps bigger for pop music than I once realized. She wasn't just the go to woman for mainstream meets underground savy beats/hooks because the 2008 litter was sparse. She brought an A grade album that's style is infusing all genres a year later.
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