Taj Austin is one of four MCs in Coast Contra, the Los Angeles group he formed with his twin brother Ras Austin alongside RioLoz and Eric Jamal a crew that made its name on straight-ahead rap craft rather than a gimmick. Since early October he's been running his own parallel series, "Saturday Rap Cafe," releasing one piece a week with no stated end point. This is the third instalment and the producer is Jake One, which is the reason it lands. Jake One builds warm and unhurried, and Austin uses the minute he's given to compress rather than stretch: "I peep the economics in the words / Let's break them down like phonics" is a thesis about reading language as a transaction, and the verse moves from there through grace, gumbo and rice to "smooth as James Brown estate." It's dense, devotional without being preachy, and it fits inside sixty-eight seconds without feeling clipped. The two that came before it "Just Blue" with Rzu, then "Thank Yall Niggas" with Khrysis established the format as a producer showcase more than a theme. Jake One is the biggest name yet, and the pairing suggests Austin is calling in people he wants rather than beats he can get. No camera or edit credits are listed. Short, deliberate, and worth the minute.
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