Southside Anxt Feeding The Streets of Chicago With His New EP
When it comes to the underground rap scene these days, the idea of conscious rap isn’t as prominent, I haven’t heard an entire project that resonated with the typical production, lyricism, and flow that’s tied to this style in quite some time. That is until I listened to Ain’t Shit Changed, But The Lingo Is For Sale, Chicago native Southside Anxt’s latest project. This is one of those projects that you must listen to front to back for the best experience, it flows effortlessly and the uniformity of this work takes serious skill.
My initial reaction to this project was centered around the quality of the production. There are clear influences of jazz which I feel always pairs well with deeper lyrics holding heavy subject matter. Of course, we still see key classic influences of trap and boom-bap style hip-hop beats, the meld of different elements makes the sonic listening experience stand out on its own. Anxt pairs his unique Chicago flow with influence from artists such as MF DOOM and Big Sean. When everything comes together, the final product is truly artistic.
Getting into the tracks, there are a few different vibes here. Some of my favorite singles are “In God We Trust,” “Musical Chairs,” and “Bad Guy Boogie.” These three pieces appear back to back. Listening to all of them as they’re aligned was a standout pairing of lyricism, production, and unity. The production on these is a bit more musical; there are a lot of different instrumental elements and the vibe is a bit more upbeat, nostalgic, and bouncy.
The contents of this full project include Southside Anxt’s personal experiences as a Black man in America facing endless disparities and challenges. He’s also channeling frustrations faced with being an independent artist in the contemporary music industry. This is Anxt’s first major platform release since 2018. His career is in the early stages, but after hearing this EP, I believe he has channeled a refined sound and will be delivering consistent work from here on out.
Written By Milly Wensley
