Nuts & Kids III: Good Noon

Nuts & Kids III: Good Noon  is the third mixtape/second free album by American musician Nantes. It was released Feburary 13, 2018 by Sphinx Sound. Acting as a sequel to Nuts & Kids II: Streetlights (2015), the album was recorded at various between Los Angeles and Long Beach, expanding on the themes and topics of Streetlights.

The album features production from notable blogsphere producers such as Jordeaux, Thovo, Epikthadawn, JunioR and Nantes under the pseudonym Eko, among others. It features elements of soul music and jazz juxtaposed against a traditional West Coast hip-hop style to create a sparse and unorthodox soundscape. Lyrically, the album explores themes of depression, fatherhood, African-American culture, nostalgia, hate, human nature, religion, morality, and suicidal ideation, among others. Like Streetlights, the album does not contain any guest appearances.

Background
During the recording of Slauson Roses, Nantes was writing for Good Noon which resulted in the former becoming an EP. It was not originally intended as the final chapter of Nuts & Kids until Nantes realized that it sonically served as an "evil twin" to Streetlights' 90s-esque sound. In the summer of 2017, Nantes retreated from the public and social media to cope with growing trials in his personal life including the hospitalization of his mother and custody arrangement of his son.

Music & Lyrics
Good Noon was inspired by the works of Ryo Fukui, DJ Quik, D'Angelo, and Ill Camille, employing a loose groove-based style on certain tracks while other tracks are fusions of jazz and trap. The album's music has been noted by writers for incorporating elements from Nantes' previous projects, thematically bridging it to Streetlights. The elements of each work in Nuts & Kids series "all recur at various points", namely "the empty happiness of 2014's Nuts & Kids, the dark boombap of Streetlights, and the emotionally strained trap of 2017's Slauson Roses". The album's opener "Good vs. Evil" is a traditional West Coast hip-hop detailing gang violence in Los Angeles and explores individuality and self loathing. The album's lyrical themes deal primarily with fatherhood and hatred but also touch on individuality, escapism, self worth, depression, love, regret, human nature, morality, and nostalgia. The album's ethos as "out is in" was described as "a meditation on moral", in which Nantes explains his custody complications as a lack of insight and empathy.

Recording
Good Noon was recorded from June 2017 to January 2018 at the Sphinx Sound in-house studio, Hypostyle Hall, located in Los Angeles, California. Nantes wrote a majority of the album's lyrics between his mother's home in Long Beach and various train rides through Los Angeles. Via Twitter, Nantes revealed that he was inspired to mix the album as if it were a 12 inch LP vinyl record after listening to good kid, m.A.A.d. city on vinyl.

Reception
Good Noon received widespread acclaim from its audience. Listeners praised its maturity and thematic sequencing as well as Nantes' lyrics. The album's opener "Good vs. Evil" received tremendous praise from listeners who called it a "proper album intro" and drew comparisons to YG. Upon its release, Good Noon received moderate attention on Instagram, with new listeners promoting the album to their followers and so on.

Tracklisting

 * 1) Good vs. Evil | Prod. by JunioR  | 4:42
 * 2) Yee's | Prod. by 4K | 2:52
 * 3) About A Bitch | Prod. by Thovo | 3:47
 * 4) Better Than Drugs | Prod. by Epikthadawn | 4:18
 * 5) Childish | Prod. by Emani | 3:20
 * 6) Keychain | Prod. by Mykal Riley | 3:35
 * 7) Good Noon | Prod. by Beatowski | 4:23
 * 8) LaVert | Prod. by Thovo | 4:05
 * 9) Killa King | Prod. by Thovo | 4:03
 * 10) Black is the Finest Hue | Prod. by Jordeaux | 4:25
 * 11) After the Streetlights Come On | Prod. by Eko | 4:16
 * 12) Good Noon (Reprise) | Part 1 prod. by Lucid Soundz, Part 2 prod. by mjNichols | 12:09

Total length:| 55:59

Samples

 * "Keychain" interpolates "We Can Freak It" by Kurupt
 * "After the Streetlights Come On" contains a sample of "Blue In Green" by Miles Davis
 * "Good Noon (Reprise)" interpolates "Lijah's Eulogy" by Nantes