The Sweet Sounds of Atlanta Upstart Tony Shhnow

Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre’s rap column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention.

Tony Shhnow is the underground Atlanta rapper of the moment

Tony Shhnow is giddily flipping through colorful cereal boxes like most rappers would dollar bills. Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles. Several types of Lucky Charms. Then he hits on the crown jewel: something called Eggo Blueberry Waffle Cereal. “I ain’t never seen these in my life!” he says, shoving the box into the FaceTime screen. The 24-year-old rapper is a snack connoisseur, always on the lookout for new types of sodas and chips in his native Atlanta and beyond. When we connect, he’s not in a supermarket aisle but rather the kitchen of a modern-looking home in Hollywood, California, where he’s currently set up to record. “L.A. is cool ’cause they got all the Spanish stuff, but nobody do it like Atlanta,” he says, still talking about cavity-making treats. “That blueberry Fanta or kiwi-strawberry Minute Maid—I’d give somebody $20 for one bottle.”

Tony’s obsession with all things sweet matches his affable spin on traditional Atlanta trap. On standout mixtapes like 2020’s Dis Should Hold U Over and Da World Is Ours 2, he pairs his Gucci Mane-indebted flow—sometimes it seems like he’s rapping with a jawbreaker in his mouth—with bubbly CashCache beats that could soundtrack a trippy Disney fairy tale. Lyrically, Tony’s day-in-the-life punchlines are rooted in Southern tradition. “These hoes goin’ dumb ’cause my neck goin’ stupid/Eatin’ chicken, throwin’ cheese in the booty club,” he raps on the smooth “Walkin’ Round Like Stevie,” paying tribute to his city’s famed strip joints.

He says Cash’s cutesy production reminds him of growing up in Atlanta’s Cobb County—which he describes as a “melting pot” of country folk and city dwellers—where he fell in love with the playful rhythms of local hitmakers like D4L and Dem Franchize Boyz in the mid-2000s. At home, his Compton-raised mother would play West Coast anthems by Ice Cube and DJ Quik, while his Eastside Atlanta-bred stepfather exposed him to trap-rap staples like T.I. and Jeezy. His earliest rhymes were written under the influence of Lil Wayne mixtapes, which also became the template for his nonstop work ethic.

Last year Tony put out six tapes, even stepping outside of his comfort zone on Kill Streak, which has a wintry East Coast feel, and Black Billionaire Club, where he puts his stylish touch on 18 immortal Neptunes beats. “I got that Southern mentality, I’m from that era when we put out tons of mixtapes and got the quality to match it,” says Tony, excitedly clapping his hands together. “But I’m not even going hard enough; Wayne dropped like 200 songs one year!”

He’s being modest. Tony’s consistent and overwhelming output has quickly made him a breakout of Atlanta rap’s underground. It’s a world populated with overnight superstars and a constant influx of out-of-state talent, but his take on the scene is extremely level-headed. “Rap in Atlanta isn’t the place to have fun like you would think,” he attests. “It’s treated like a business down here.” You would never know that by listening to the lively songs that fill his countless mixtapes. He’s probably about to record another one in the kitchen right now—though he may need to have a bowl of cereal first.

Breaking down Bad Bunny’s professional wrestling skills

Last Sunday, Bad Bunny showed up at WWE’s Royal Rumble to 1) perform his song “Booker T” with the master of the spinaroonie mean mugging (and flexing so hard that veins were most definitely popped) in the background, and 2) to help fellow Puerto Rican Damian Priest eliminate The Miz and John Morrison by finishing them off with a crossbody—aka the move where a wrestler extends like a flying squirrel and slams into their opponent. It’s unclear exactly why this happened, but since we’re here, we have to dive into the mechanics of Bad Bunny’s crossbody.

I would argue there are three elements that make a perfect crossbody. The first is the preparatory facial expression, which should either indicate a taunt or a feeling of oh shit why the hell am I doing this. Bad Bunny goes the oh shit route, looking to his left and right as if he were reconsidering the life choices that led him to a wrestling ring in St. Petersburg, Florida. Anytime someone exhales this hard, they’ve gotten themselves into some shit they regret.

The second element is the launch off of the top rope or cage—you want to create a nice arc before your descent. Bad Bunny’s jump is flat but admirable, especially considering he’s aiming for the area outside of the ring.

Lastly, and most importantly, you have to connect with the target, or else the person you’re supposed to land on ends up flailing like James Harden drawing a foul. Bad Bunny slammed against The Miz and John Morrison with ease, which was impressive.

Overall, Bad Bunny’s execution was textbook, despite some issues on the liftoff. Vince McMahon should dig deep into his offshore bank accounts and write Bad Bunny another massive check to bring back the superstar for Wrestlemania in April.

Headline of the week: “Lil Uzi Vert appears to have pierced an enormous diamond into his forehead”

Elliot Eliantte is this era’s go-to jeweler for rappers looking to turn heads with outrageous statement pieces. So it’s no surprise that when Lil Uzi Vert recently went on a midday tweeting spree announcing his desire to implant an unnecessarily large diamond in his forehead, Eliantte was involved. Three days later, there Uzi was, with an unnecessarily large diamond in his forehead. It looks good... if you think humans should resemble Sailor Moon characters. Uzi also claims the diamond cost him $24 million and was paid for over the last four years—which seems unlikely, but will undoubtedly sound like a good flex next to the mandated Eliantte reference in a future song.

Gabe ’Nandez: “Ox”

Gabe ’Nandez’s head-spinning flow on “Ox” will have you doing all of the excessive hand movements Nas does in the “Nas Is Like” video. “Craps money in the back money clap money pros/Craft money make you laugh funny cash money cold,” he breathlessly raps, delivering slick wordplay with admirable ease. Though the 1O1-produced beat’s hypnotic vocal sample might temporarily put you into a daze, Gabe’s barreling raps will snap you back to reality.

No Good Ent: “Janky Season”

The YouTube description for “Janky Season” candidly states, “After a 2 month break, No Good Ent returns with their bad raps.” Technically, if we’re going by the bygone hip-hop rubric established on the East Coast decades ago, No Good Ent—aka Richmond, California’s President Bandz and Mari Peso—are not very good rappers: They can’t stay on beat, their voices sound like crying dogs, and there is absolutely no substance to their music (well, unless you’re into hearing Mari complain about the stench of his girlfriend’s urine). But hearing them screeching ridiculous tall tales on “Janky Season”—which is definitely inspired by Teejayx6 and Kasher Quon’s “Dynamic Duo”—is enough to momentarily put aside rap tradition. Plus, what could be more fun than hearing Mari claim his girlfriend fought a nun?

New York Knick Kevin Knox’s depressing pregame playlist

Whatever happened to the days when athletes wanted music to hype them up? Or were NBA players of the past going through their shootaround routines with Tupac’s “Brenda Got a Baby” or JAY-Z’s “Song Cry” in their headphones? These days, basketball and football players alike seem to get into their zone by locking into songs that could accompany an afternoon of staring through a rainy window. According to Knicks forward Kevin Knox’s playlist, he gets into the mindset to play a professional basketball game by listening to YoungBoy sing, “Say my prayers so I know I’m protected soon as I walk in/Seeming like that I’m the one that they don’t wanna see win,” and NoCap wail, “If they really had love, they would’ve showed me.” If we ever see a single tear run down Knox’s cheek while he puts up a mid-range jumper, at least we’ll know what he’s thinking about.

Koncept Jack$on and Ohbliv: “Turning You On”

Richmond, Virginia rapper-producer duo Koncept Jack$on and Ohbliv show off undeniable chemistry on “Turning You On.” The tone is set by the artwork, where a 1992 Jet magazine cover is altered to make it look like Koncept is gazing into A Different World star Jasmine Guy’s eyes (Kadeem probably didn’t deserve her anyway). The pair go on to perfectly complement each other, with Koncept’s fast, choppy flow gliding over Ohbliv’s hearty loop, giving it an extra edge. It’s the perfect marriage.

Yo Gotti presents EST Gee with $750,000 cash for signing to his label

Has Yo Gotti ever heard of a direct deposit? Is rising Louisville rapper EST Gee supposed to bring these stacks of hundreds to the bank? Or do you just keep $750,000 in the broom closet?

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork