In 2015, Tate Kobang captured hearts with his "Banks Rolls," single, a track with Baltimore club routes and endless shoutouts to his hometown's neighborhoods. The song coincidentally dropped during the genesis of Baltimore's uprising in response to Freddie Gray's death and was an upbeat bright spot for a city dealing with unrest and unfavorable press. The song's success earned him a deal with 300 and helped Tate focus on churning out more music, but it wasn't until recently that he became fully comfortable with what he was making.Today, we're premiering Kobang's new mixtape, Tate Ko, a 15-track project he believes is his first true showcase of music that he's wanted to create. "That's the whole point of the project," Tate said in an email conversation. "It's me. It's giving you me completely. I'm back making the beats. I’m back doing everything.” Just under half of Tate Ko is produced by Kobang, and it achieves the bounciness and dance-commanding production of "Bank Rolls," without being so detectably tied to club music.“I had a conversation with Swizz Beatz and he told me, ‘I can tell that you’re comfortable and you in your pocket here,'" Tate said. Swizz served as a guide on Tate Ko and is featured on the project's "Ello?" track, which features the producer's signature brand of controlled chaos, decorated with blaring synths, barrages of drums, and screams. The tape also features teen Baltimore rapper Deetranada of Jermaine Dupri's The Rap Game, Virginia rapper Young Money Yawn, and DC's Chaz French. Listen below.Follow Lawrence Burney on Twitter.
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