“I’m God” was instantly iconic, immediately imitated, and impossible to recreate. The instrumental’s unforgettable sample has gone from an unapproved flip to a full-fledged feature, with Imogen Heap credited alongside Clams Casino. Most were previously available and have only been remastered here, but “I’m God”-the definitive Clams Casino recording-can now be officially streamed as a standalone piece of music for the very first time. Instrumental Relics contains many of Clams’ most notable early collaborations (Soulja Boy’s “All I Need,” A$AP Rocky’s “Numb”), as well as three tracks from his Rainforest EP on the late Tri Angle records (“Treetop,” “Drowning,” “Gorilla”), an original cut from the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack (“Crystals”), and a handful of other strays. Clams was out there sampling Thursday in 2011, and now he works alongside a new generation who would probably not be making music without his influence: Lil Peep, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Ghostemane, and Nedarb, who credits “I’m God” as the beat that made him want to start producing. Without Clams, it’s hard to imagine Yung Lean or Drain Gang, and rap’s ongoing infatuations with the alternative rock spectrum might not be so passionate either.
Clams’ influence on hip-hop has remained at the elemental level his work with rappers like Lil B, A$AP Rocky, and Soulja Boy truly shifted the sonic window.
