The underground scene is very hit or miss a lot of the time for me. The producers are doing incredible things, with rappers lagging behind very often. In a post-Whole Lotta Red world, Rage is the noisy, headache-inducing sound the teens that define this scene love. Artists like Osamason and Nettspend are the faces of this wave, but their rise wasn't without much criticism. Even I am not the biggest fan of Lil O and Nett. So, when Atlanta rapper Che released his anticipated album, "REST IN BASS", it was nowhere near my radar. This year has been dry for music, so I decided to jump in.

I was expecting a basic, sleepy project filled with ok beats with a very bored-sounding artist buried underneath them. I was wrong.

Che is giving the performance of a lifetime on many of these songs. The same energy Carti gave on "Stop Breathing" and "On That Time", Che is giving for a majority of the 18 tracks. The title of this project is more of a warning—you will be overwhelmed in the bass if you are not used to how loud this genre of rap can be. Add in Che screaming in your ear with adlibs galore, and you have the perfect recipe for controlled chaos that the underground brings.

The first 5 songs especially do not let up, transitioning straight into each other with little to no intro. There's no preparing or breaks given. The tape is hosted by DJ Rennessy, who has done hosting for fellow underground rappers xaviersobased, nettspend, and Glokk40Spaz. On "ROLLING STONE", Che has a relatively lower register for his voice compared to some other songs. The beat, which is produced by Azure, is a constant 8-bar loop of 808 and synth with the occasional pause to allow you to take in what Che just said.

The instant transition into "ON FLEEK" keeps the energy going. This is my favorite beat on the entire project. CXO, who seems to be a frequent collaborator with Che, is on several more tracks and doesn't let up. The vocals from Che are more Carti-ish on this track, even having adlibs where he's literally just screaming. The song goes straight into "LIP FILLER", which is the most "Carti" of the first few tracks. I don't want to compare him to Playboi Carti too much, especially since he's doing something completely different than this now, but the vocals and production in a way is definitely derived from what he did in 2020.

He ends the 5-track run with "HOOD FAMOUS", produced by Rok, who is all over this project. This one doesn't have a traditional song structure, though most of the songs don't either, featuring Che just rapping for a 1:30 straight. Bars filled with WWE references.

"I can't breathe, WrestleMania, put me in a cage, baby/ I'm Hollywood? No, Bitch, I'm hood famous/ Got a Mohawk, I dye my head, now I look like Sheamus"

We are finally given a break with a small interlude of electrical synths and no bass before we head into the second part of the song and beat switch.

Tracks like "MARCELINE" feature Che with a more unique delivery, much less screaming but still a lot of energy and charisma coming from the vocals. The beat is also a bit less heavy and is more of the easier-going tracks (if you can even call it that).

I want to point out tracks like "DIOR LEOPARD", "HELLRAISER", and "MDMA" for featuring some of the best vocal performances from Che. Sure, he's not rapping circles around you, but his flow is very impressive on the beats he chooses. On "HELLRAISER", he has that higher pitch inflection that fits great with the beat. And Osamason gives a good guest verse.

The issue I have with a good amount of the newer acts in both the underground and more mainstream is they sound like they don't care. If you're not interested in what you're saying, you better be Earl Sweatshirt levels of rap ability. And if you can't do that, then at least put on a performance. It's very easy to get good beats, and they can only carry you so far. Che is one of the first artists I've heard in the underground not only sound alive but interested in doing different types of vocal inflections that actually work for me. If you haven't explored the underground, or even if it's been a long time since you have, start here.