Lil Moe 6Blocka and Rooga released SCRAPPERS, a nine-track mixtape.
SCRAPPERS is a powerful testament to the importance of mentorship. Rooga, a lynchpin of the Chicago rap scene since the release of his acclaimed 2016 tape, I Am Scrapp, has taught Moe a better way to navigate life. In turn, 16-year-old Moe a disciple of drill rap who has released high-octane hits like “Risky” (named one of “the best hip-hop songs of 2021” by HipHopDx and later making waves with a remix featuring 22Gz), “Leave Em Stretched,” “Nothin,” “Ion Know,” “What I Say,” and 6Blocka has sparked a renewed hustle in Rooga.
The mixtape’s first single, “Get You Wacked,” was produced by C-Sick, one of the pioneering producers of the Windy City’s drill scene. Bristling with bravado and sly wordplay, it announced the duo’s auspicious arrival and establishes them as a force to be reckoned with. View the official video, which has amassed over half a million views. The follow-up single, “No Love,” was included in HipHopDX’s New Music Friday roundup alongside artists like Bas, J. Cole, and Post Malone.
“Both Moe and I have been losing friends, losing brothers, and we’re tied by that bond,” explains Rooga.
The duo aligns lyrical styles to create meditative tracks that reckon with the violence each has witnessed in their lives. Rooga passionately raps about his son the future and about keeping guns off the streets. Moe pays homage to his friend Dooski, who passed in 2018. On “Street 2 Me,” Rooga spits, “I just took the shorties out the hood and showed em something different.” Meanwhile, Moe’s verses show that he knows the status quo too well. “There’s no getting past the hard shit,” Moe says. “I just keep taking it in and doing what I do. I try not to think about it, but it can be hard to escape.”
The mixtape’s title is multi-faceted metaphor. It’s a nod of respect to Rooga’s little brother “Scrapp” and others they’ve lost and an acknowledgement of how the losses have left Moe and Rooga as the “scraps,” the remaining fragments. It’s also about scrapping doing what you need to do to overcome. Moe and Rooga have taken different paths, but they’ve come to the same conclusion: Rap is both the best way to remember those they’ve lost, and to try to prevent that pain from happening again.
Track Listing SCRAPPERS
- Real Life
- 4Ge
- Get Out
- Street 2 Me
- Get You Wacked
- Scrappers
- Bali
- No Love
- Where I’m From
