The Hood Internet’s Trillwave mix tape was designed for “the party after the afterparty,” and track ‘It Was A Rainy Day’ was made for floating down Crenshaw atop a cloud of bubbles fitted with hydraulics. It’s become a daily ritual to check and see if any new tracks have been posted by the Chicago based duo, who are responsible for bringing hip-hop back into my life, even if it’s been significantly modified. Probably the most talented of the mash-up DJs, ABX and STV SLV love contradictions, like Ice Cube barking the lyrics to ‘It Was A Good Day’ while being doused with glitter.

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The Hood Internet – It Was A Rainy Day (Ice Cube vs CFCF)

When tomorrow isn’t promised, today should be spent shooting dice and indulging in endless amounts of food, weed, booze, and women. A day spent enjoying the best South Central Los Angeles has to offer is glamorized, and wrapped in a manic haze by The Hood Internet, who’ve gone with instrumentals from CFCF’s ‘Racing Patterns.’ The result is something hallucinatory, that calms any of Cube’s concerns about gang violence or unfortunate LAPD encounters, and leaves you wishing you could make you car’s ass drop too.

Contient is an album that I really can’t say enough about. Michael Silver’s first record as CFCF is an unbelievably versatile collection with something captivating for any activity, at any hour. At night, the record takes on a more lurking personality, perfect for stealthily escorting you through the city. My insomnia is usually dealt with by blasting ‘You Hear Colors’ or ‘Invitation to Love’ while having my way with the empty freeway. The obscenely danceable, calypso rendering of Lindsey Buckingham’s ‘Big Love,’ and the more intense driving song ‘Monolith,’ still have a hypnotic effect that makes whatever it is you’re doing at that moment something to saviour.

‘Racing Patterns’ is maybe my fourth or fifth favorite because it seems like an overture to get you in the right frame of mind to properly experience the Buckingham cover. I love the way the song, and the record, begins with a simple kick – a snare beat that sounds like Silver is kick-starting his album to life, and firing up a massive synthetic drone, as if he’s using the track to let his equipment get warm. What sounds like distorted harps, chimes and oil-can drums balance the drone by being effervescent and distracting, and at over seven minutes in length, ‘Racing Patterns’ takes it’s damn time finishing. There’s something very foreboding about those ice-cold drones, as if something ominous is on the horizon, but is being ignored for the moment, as I guess was the idea behind ‘It Was A Rainy Day.’

With all kinds of jackers in his mirrors and dudes trying to blast him, Ice Cube’s anxiety never fully allows him to ignore his worries. The story has always been compelling, but that “electric chair mentality” is a bit of a downer, as if he could be enjoying his day a little more if his life wasn’t in constant jeopardy. CFCF blurs away these threats so the lyrics can take on an uninhibited, euphoric tone, that finally makes you think Cube is beginning to relax. Even, long after the Super Sonics have ceased to exist, his words have not grown tired, and there’s still a vicarious thrill in hearing about the sexual conquest that had been so many years in the making.

The Trillwave mix tape is a very strong collection, and features a great Jay Electronica and Toro Y Moi pairing that also stands out as a favorite. The majority of The Hood Internet’s music features contemporary hip-hop artists, so it was nice to rediscover an oldie like ‘It Was A Good Day,’ especially now that you can wear a smile during your head knock.