by Dan O

You get the sense that Roper doesn’t see any point in doing a project if it doesn’t expand his skill set or challenge his pre-existing understanding of music.

One of the issues with hip hop discourse is the criteria we use to evaluate greatness often has very little to do with who is the best at the work right now. It turns into a discussion of legacy, influence, and intangibles. The question I sit with is “Who has the best fastball?” Who is actually making the best beats? Roper is top 5 in the world if you just talk about the music. He can hand YL a beat that helps him float over the city, make Fatboi Sharif into your favorite rapper with cinematic tension. Off speed time signatures make his beats stick with you but they aren’t off exactly…they sound so pretty but something is still a bit off. You get the sense that Roper doesn’t see any point in doing a project if it doesn’t expand his skill set or challenge his pre-existing understanding of music. That hunger has shown incredible leaps and bounds from project to project. I couldn’t help but dream future full length collaborations. My top five are below:

1.Nas-Hit Boy brings the opulence out of Nas. It drives him towards a Sinatra-like nostalgia and classic Esco flossing. Everyone has been acting like the missing part is the Made U Look classic NY sound but that’s not it. It’s the darkness. The kind he dug into alongside Jadakiss on Show Discipline. Can you imagine Nas over the Smithsonian beat? If Nas wants something to get nostalgic over Roper gave Self Harm to Navy Blue. Roper has that chamber but I want Nas to get his bite back. We all loved him because he transported us places where we could only see through his lens but I miss Nasty Nas who was always willing to bare his teeth and go rounds with anyone in rap. Roper is the one who could draw him in under cover of sounds that swell and resonate only to sneak in the kind of grit that awakens Nasty.

2. E L U C I D-The best chanter in the world. A fascinating writer on top of that. He stitches together detailed images with eye popping shock bars to form verses that aren’t linear but always feel emotionally true. Roper knows how to get the best out of talent and E L U C I D has an incredible ear. Roper has already worked with AKAI SOLO who is highly skilled in a similar way (unconventional flow, impressionistic writing) so these pieces would fit perfectly. Two geniuses with each other’s backs can do beautiful things.

3. Homeboy Sandman-This is the best lyrical phase of Homeboy Sandman’s career. Someone as cerebral and honest as Sandman can sometimes get lost in his own head. He’s not doing that anymore. If you listen to his new album Rich you can hear him mimicking the most prominent sounds of the beat with his mouth to open or close songs. Letting the music lead his train of thought has been a rewarding thing and Sandman steps up to major collaborations, always has. Urgency is the magic sauce for Sandman. When a producer pushes him to a meaningful place and the urgency takes over he’s unstoppable.

4. Illogic-People who know the work of Illogic might be baffled by this pick because a) he’s already an excellent producer b) he’s semi-retired. The second point works to my favor. Illogic never retired. The declaration was being out of the rat race of content creation. This actually frees him up to take his time on things and experiment. One of the most literary MC’s in the genres history Illogic has never ever worked with someone like Roper before. That something that’s a bit off, the fracture in that gorgeous canvas Roper presents…I’m really interested in how that would steer the mighty pen of Illogic.

5. maassai-Roper does incredibly well scoring contemplative voices. Very few are as good at insulating the listener from distractions and speaking directly to them. H31R (which is maassai and J Words) are dropping HeadSpace on November 17th and I can’t wait. J Words is brilliant and maassai navigates the force of her dance music shockingly well for someone quite often rapping from a hush. I just want to see maassai open a second lane with options to brood, embrace darkness, or flex on the world. This would work in a way that would definitely move the artistic development of both parties forward.

If you need more proof of greatness just check Roper Williams new album Infinite Loop below:

https://roperwilliams.bandcamp.com/album/infinite-victory-loop