DROPXLIFE - AEXTHR

DROPXLIFE... XO affiliate outta Toronto who masterminded The Weeknd's - Initiation... continues to drop quality produced gems.  In the vein of his friend Illangelo (also a producer for the weeknd) and fellow Canadian producer Black Atlass, DROP's beats hit hard but with a clipping crunch that pleasantly stings the ear when the volume is cranked.  DROP first grabbed our attention with a track called rollxplae in 2011, when the Weeknd's buzz was biggest and any known affiliate was meat to sink our curious teeth into.  Drop also has one of the best twitter accounts... unlike the XO figurehead.

DROPXLIFE - THEXTIME

Man so Drop is really fuckin with the shit that clips. I'm with it. This track is crazy. Drop is real emotional these days, my bruh is in pain. He sounds like he's on em drugs too with this quote that was attached to the track, "Honestly, the only time I felt like this was the first time I felt like this. I hope the next time I feel like this won't be the last. And the time after that won't be like the fifth.. Or eighteenth."

DropXLife - Further EP

The Toronto native, DropXLife, one half of the production on The Weeknd's Initiation, dropped this new EP a few days back. 

DropxLife - "Furthur" (Mixtape) by PinBoardBlog

Pawncho - DropxLife

Dropxlife - Pawncho by EARMILK

In just a few days the name "Pawncho" has shown itself to the world at a terrific speed.  If you haven't heard it yet listen to it I guess.  I like the Toronto (yea... another one) producer's beats, but simply cannot put Pawncho on a level anywhere near The Weeknd, or OVO... InxTwo and MoonxShine both utilize samples really well and I think are two of the best songs on DropxLife (UPDATE: InxTwo especially, fuck).  But then comes along... RollxPlae and one finds themselves waiting for Abel Tesfaye to jump on the track at any moment.  The track is great... but I find myself thirsting for more.  This theme applies to the whole shit.  I want more.  Is it possible that The Weeknd has changed the beat production game to such a degree that instrumental tapes won't be enough anymore? No... but as a producer, you better bring a lot more to the table these days.  Beats aren't just for rappers... theyve graced countless genres of music in recent years.  So I hope to see an artist like Pawncho do a little bit more in the future or team up with someone to make more complete music.  It's 2011. Go Hammer. (@kevintheduude put me on)