The Ones: LilCJ Kasino’s “Nick to a Brick” [ft. Quin NFN & Lil 2z]

With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.

LilCJ Kasino - “Nick to a Brick” [ft. Quin NFN & Lil 2z]

The future of Texas rap starts to crystalize when Fort Worth’s LilCJ Kasino and Dallas’ Lil 2z link up with Austin’s Quin NFN for “Nick to a Brick.” The collaboration, from Kasino’s new mixtape Death Trap, is a non-stop rap-off between three promising young local talents over menacing production. Their signature styles play off each other well: Kasino is a clever rapper who sneaks little turns of phrase into his zippy flows (“These niggas broke and they need fixing”), and his hook is so punchy that it feels like another verse. 2z delivers every bar with a huff, so much so that it seems like he’s snarling and baring his fangs as he brags about his grill’s molding. But it’s Quin who steals the show. With squealed, twisting flows, he is the trio’s frontrunner, and his tumbling internal rhymes stack perfectly atop one another. Together, they close out a big year for the Lone Star State and chart its next prospects.

Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from LilCJ Kasino and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork