This has been a banner year for producers reinventing themselves as rappers, from Lunchbox to Cash Cobain. Now we can add Jersey’s Maajins to that list. He had his breakout moment as a beatmaker in 2021, co-producing Tana and Slump6s’ viral rage sensation “Antisocial” and its remix, “Antisocial 2,” when he was barely into his teens. As a rapper-producer he’s got a solid mixtape under his belt with this month’s Teenage Feelings., which polishes up his elastic melodic style. It’s not all the way there yet, but “Outlaw” has a few cool vocal moments, including soaring background ad-libs and how his croons feel like they end with a shrug. But the song’s beat is still the main draw. It’s a slow-cooker with what sounds like a quavering guitar laid over the slinky noise rippling underneath—more than enough to elevate rapping that is still coming along.
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.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Maajins and more on our Spotify playlist.
