It has been a big year for YouTubers Cody Ko and Noel Miller. The duo announced their first stand-up comedy tour as “Tiny Meat Gang,” brought their podcast to the stage for a live tour in California, Ko reached 1 million subscribers and the pair is ending 2018 with over 6,000 patrons financially funding their podcast.
For five months, I was one of these patrons. At the time, I was a podcast fiend (not that my status has changed) and the “Tiny Meat Gang” podcast was one of my favorites. I was taking summer classes in the city and had a one-hour bus ride twice a week, totaling four hours of blank time to entertain myself on the bus. The “TMG” podcast was the perfect answer to this problem; their episodes are on average an hour and 15 minutes long, and becoming a patron gave you access to quite a few bonus episodes and listening privileges a week earlier than everyone else.
As a result, my hours spent on public transport ended up filled with stifled laughter as I listened to the episodes. I had an especially difficult time during the segment on a flight attendant who sounded like a DJ and turned my head completely facing the window as a few stray tears made their way down my face. The laughter wracked my body so much that a few passengers probably assumed I was listening to an intensely emotional album or something, what with the tears streaming down my face.
Needless to say, these guys are funny; and to celebrate their milestone of reaching $20,000 in donations from their patrons, the duo dropped their second EP, “Locals Only.” After their release of “Bangers and Ass,” a five-song rap EP that parodied topics bragged about in the rap genre, Tiny Meat Gang established themselves as a legitimate artist to be reckoned with, as demonstrated through their addition to a hip-hop top four artist list:
man what https://t.co/Z70KATF9C2
— Noel Miller (@thenoelmiller) October 5, 2018
which one of you did this? U kno damn well we don’t belong on this shit
— Noel Miller (@thenoelmiller) October 5, 2018
So, after the unexpected success of “Bangers and Ass,” how was Tiny Meat Gang going to follow it up for another EP? They promised another parody on rap music and internet culture, but would the topics be too similar to the first EP?
Luckily, Ko and Miller are incredibly creative and were able to keep the overall theme the same but incorporate new topics and avenues to play with, such as their jabs at “flexing” culture and gamers. Here is what you can expect from the much-awaited eight-song EP “Locals Only.”
1. “Intro”
The 53-second intro begins with a comical exchange between Miller and Ko, following a couple of guys who haven’t seen each other for a while:
Miller: Yo, what the f is good dog?
Ko: Oh s—, dude
Miller: S—, bruh good to see you dog.
Ko: You too bruh, how you been?
Miller: Chillin man, hey I saw that f’in’ new barbeque you just put up on FaceBook? S—’s fire bro.
Ko: S—‘s fire. It’s literally fire.
Miller: You still throwin’ them ragers dog?
Ko: Every damn night bro…well, when I can.
Miller: Damn dog, hell yeah of course, you know the wife.
The duo goes on to discuss their old friend Nathan, who, you guessed it, is now in jail. The ridiculous intro bleeds seamlessly into the first official song of the album “No Flex.”
2. “No Flex”
Along with being my favorite track on the album, “No Flex” has a great music video to accompany it. The track was dropped as the second single to the album, just a few weeks before the full release. “No Flex” parodies influencers and artists who brag on social media, but instead of showing off fancy cars or gym bods, Ko and Miller rap about basic subjects and frame it as a massive brag: like having a fat bandwidth, driving a Honda Civic and paying the rent on time.
Along with the inventive lyrics, the beat is so catchy that, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably find yourself placing the song on replay and dancing to it in your car. And if you like seeing flamingo bicycles, an unnecessary amount of vape pens and atrociously neon clothing, then the music video won’t disappoint.
3. “BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)”
“BYOB” is a rap-pitch trying to explain that a pyramid scheme is a lie. Ko and Miller poke fun at people who describe themselves as “self-made” and even include their own lifestyles as YouTubers. A song about working for Herbalife, Postmates and Lyft has never been this catchy.
4. “Drip”
In this track, Ko and Miller parody rappers who talk about all their designer items. They list off absurd designer products, like a Gucci mousepad and a Versace doorbell.
Halfway through the track, Miller expresses that he hopes his mom doesn’t flip out when she sees his credit card statement, suggesting this is from the point of view of someone who still lives at home or shares their finances with their mother. It’s an ingenious plot twist that made me chuckle the first time I heard it. Well played, TMG.
5. “Please Be a Hit”
“Please Be a Hit” is a look into how Ko and Miller would probably live if they became incredibly famous rap artists. As is true to their brand, the duo mocks extravagant lifestyles, but there is a twinge of envy in this one with the confession that they would take up the same behavior if they should rise to an equal level of fame.
The pair experiments with heavy autotune and voice changer in this track, and quite a few fans praised it as sounding very similar to famous rap tracks today.
6. “G-S—”
The term “g-s—” usually means “gangster-s—” in rap music, but Miller and Ko change the term to mean “gamer-s—” for this track. Full of player references and claims to how often gamer guys joke about each other’s mothers, this is not one to miss if you know anyone into video games or are yourself.
The outro consists of heated exchange between Ko and Miller where they mimic young gamers yelling at each other about genitalia and their mothers.
7. “Juice”
As fans of the podcast know, a common topic Ko and Miller discuss is men on steroids that they come across at their local gyms.
“Juice” explores this topic further, speaking from the point of view of the men addicted to testosterone pills. Among bringing shame to their families, the steroid users admit to being unable to consume alcohol and having to use the bathroom too often.
8. “Stay Safe”
The album finishes off with “Stay Safe,” dropped months in advance of the full EP. This creative track parodies rap artists’ pattern of talking about sex but put a spin on it by preaching about safe sex.
Instead of bragging about all the women they are sleeping with, they brag about getting tested and using protection. This track also has a music video along with it, which is essentially just Ko and Miller on a beach in neon yellow blow-up suits.
