The latest episode of the Genius series "The Co-Sign" has arrived. The premise is simple: a veteran hip-hop presence expresses their thoughts on the game's emerging voices. While we've previously seen installments with Fat Joe and Swizz Beatz, the most recent effort find Ice Cube playing gatekeeper to some of the west coast's next up, including Reason, Saweetie, Lil Mosey, and of course, BlueFace.
"If I could give any advice to up-and-coming west coast artists," says Cube, "it's cool to rep where you from, but don't let that become a cage. Look to rock any crowd anywhere on any level." Naturally, the first to come across Cube's desk is the ubiquitous Blueface, the man whom Daylyt once described as follows: "He record his verse Monday, they bring the beat Friday." Upon queuing up "Respect My Crypn," Cube wastes little time in praising the skillset. "I like his confidence. I definitely know this dude can rap," he explains, though he does mention that such reliance on gang affiliation feels like a crutch.
"He not offbeat," says Cube. "He not all the way hitting the ones all the time, he's falling off and falling back on. It's one of those styles that's an acquired taste, but when you get it, it's fire."
For more from Cube, peep the whole episode below.
