Ghais Guevara has been putting in work for years as one of the most uncompromising, passionate, and principled artists in hip-hop today. As his profile continues to grow, he wants to flood the summer for listeners with a new mixtape called The Other 2/5ths Or: The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Trench Baby.
Its release date is unknown, but the Philadelphia rapper and producer dropped two singles to hold fans over: "Nina Narcissist" and "C.I.A Psyop." These follow the release of his excellent January album Goyard Ibn Said, which was led by singles such as "4L" and "The Old Guard Is Dead."
Back to these new tracks, though, "Nina Narcissist" is a bit bouncier by comparison, driving its grandiose sample chops with persistent claps. The mix noisily juggles these elements very well under Ghais Guevara's direction, who employs measured flows to create a pretty unforgiving character portrait. Some horn embellishments bridging the record also go a long way to add more drama.
On the other hand, "C.I.A Psyop" is a grittier narrative by comparison with a minimal jerk vibe to lock the instrumental into an addictive groove. The bass here takes up more of the space to great effect, and the melodies are more ethereal and hazy.
With these new singles, we can't wait for Ghais Guevara to unveil The Other 2/5ths in full and prove once again why he's one of the best right now. The mixtape's cover art features King Jaja of Opobo, whereas its title references the Three-Fifths Compromise. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the United States determined that three out of every five slaves would count towards a state's population for representation and tax purposes.
Ghais Guevara – 2/5ths (Singles)
Quotable Lyrics ("C.I.A Psyop")
F**k about my past, baby, only live once,
I just want some racks, baby, I just want to stunt
When the last time that your skin felt sun?
When the last time that you thought you met the one?
