Since emerging with his 2020 debut Farley, it was clear the reclusive Washington D.C. rapper Sideshow wasn’t using rap as his poetic vessel. Instead, his frank rhymes seemed to be used to help him understand himself a bit better. He’d meditate on his lowkey distrust for his friends, his early morning weed deals, or how his higher profit margins from selling drugs came at the expense of selling his product to his own aunt. But in these meandering, stony bars, Sideshow’s deadpan delivery would imply that he was often not looking for answers. His music wasn’t meant to illuminate his life, and he often took on the role of the unbiased narrator despite the personal stakes in his vignettes.
On his latest mixtape 2MM DON’T JUST STAND THERE! Sideshow’s cloudy loopings have become even more claustrophobic, but he at times uses these dense backdrops to sprinkle in some optimism, contemplating life’s small victories and how past hardships have ultimately helped him grow. “Just cause we not cool don’t mean you my opponent, i know you was hating on me, but i don’t harp on it,” he raps with an exhale on “Shell In My Ghost.”
These small victories come in many forms throughout the brief 27-minute tape, and often they’re at the expense of other personal tragedies. He uses “2UNCHI MUSIC’s” convulsive opening beat to admit that he still struggles with the “worst kind” of drug addiction, but moments later celebrates surviving multiple police encounters (“every pat down got through it”). On “Locked Doors,” Sideshow raps: “Life’s cool got a new lease on it,” but a few bars later begs for success. “Too many drugs in my system, too many locked doors let me in,” he spits.
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Despite the tape’s glitchy production, courtesy of Alexander Spit, Popstar Benny, and even Sideshow himself, the 24-year-old skates along 2MM’s punchy instrumentals with subdued ease, and never struggles to catch his flow even on the tape’s most colorful offerings. “I know n-***s like me don’t shine to often, so I’m gonna shine as much as I can” he raps hopefully on “White Fans” suffocated beat, making the track’s gravelly low mixing feel strangely uplifting.
Sideshow often tussles with similar problems he’s aired out on previous tapes. Drug addiction, depression and betrayal lurk around every corner on 2MM, but the rapper’s newfound power comes from his decision to instead focus on the good. On closer “Chez Francis,” Sideshow raps about his first trip to France, filled with visceral day-drinking escapades at fancy hotel bars followed by visits to the Louvre. It’s a sign that despite his setbacks, Sideshow’s rap career is moving in the right direction, even if it’s not happening as quickly as he’d prefer.
“Before I let a label rock me i’m gonna figure it out and if rap don’t pan out find a different route. I was lost on 16th but a n-gga got found,” he raps on “Shell In My Ghost’s” punchy loop. 2MM DON’T JUST STAND THERE! showcases Sideshow at his most joyful, and while he admits his demons aren’t conquered, it’s a welcomed change of pace to see him celebrating them being at bay.
