Mixtape Monthly #4

JaYo LeGrand - Grand Slam

Junior psychology major Jordan Little, who goes by the stage name JaYo LeGrand, held a listening party to celebrate the release of his first mixtape, Grand Slam. After he finished running through his 11-track debut for friends, his playlist switched to Usher's "Climax" as the gathering ended. The song selection seemed almost too perfect.

"Climax" is a song that thrives off restraint and a sense of humility. Usher can't rely on those two characteristics in his upcoming work because his R&B prominence questions their sincerity. LeGrand can succeed fromthese traits since that's who he is at a glance - Little, the man behind the persona, is known to be a quiet, self-contained individual. That connection adds a sense of realness to a majority of his solid debut.

It would've been easy for LeGrand to turn the attention on himself in such a crucial moment in his career, but he doesn't. For the most part, Grand Slam gives its attention to the listeners. The focus saves some of the mixtape's best tracks from being too melancholy.

"Notice Me" follows the protagonist's inability to flatter a girl, in a non-clich?(c) way. LeGrand focuses on the woman, who can be any listener, rather than his own flaws.

Through his rap abilities, Grand Slam also helps LeGrand gain a connection with his male audience. These tracks sound purposeful rather than just obligatory. LeGrand's vocals sound a bit too monotonous at times in his "Do For Love" remix and "Good and Bad." But the delivery problems give the listener a chance to appreciate the easy-to-grasp lyrics.

The lyricism comes together with great, jazz guitar-backed production in "Good and Bad," which is arguably the mixtape's best track.

"Had a good childhood, I'm just being honest/ Broke through the concrete, we was wildflowers," LeGrand raps.

Grand Slamis held back by some ill-advised production choices ("Gettin It") and notable instances of unoriginality ("Drip Drop"), but that's just amateurism. There's some evidence that LeGrand may have something going here.

2012 XXL Freshman Mixtape- Various Artists, Hosted by DJ Whoo Kid, Diddy, & T.I.

XXL Magazine has built a reputation for promoting the biggest up and comers in hip-hop such as Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Big Sean, with their annual "Top 10 Freshman" list, proving to be a reliable judge of talent.

The publication has once again teamed up with DJ Whoo Kid, as well as Bad Boy CEO, Diddy, and rapper T.I. to host the third "freshman" mixtape for 2012's list.

Unfortunately, what makes the buzz around this mixtape different from its predecessors is the general disappointment of not only fans, but also artists over the rappers chosen for the special issue. The mixtape offers no justification behind its picks.

The three rappers with the most features on this mixtape are, ironically, two of the hosts. Diddy seems to continue his legacy of being intrusive. He took the liberty to record three skits while featured in new signee, French Montana's final track, "Shot Caller (Remix)." T.I. chose the same route. He has his own song on the mixtape and two features on his newest prot?(c)g?(c), Iggy Azalea's, songs.

French Montana, the only rapper on the list who's gained a considerable amount of praise since his feature in XXL, has four solo tracks on the mixtape, with one feature on label mate Machine Gun Kelly's songs. Every other rapper only contributed two tracks or less to prove themselves.

Lone lady on the mixtape Azalea serves one of the few entertaining tracks with "Murda Bizness" featuring T.I. Teaming up with her boss proved to be Azalea's saving grace, as the flawless production and T.I.'s lyrical contribution compensated for what the Australian rapper lacked.Azalea shows effort, however, with undeniable confidence exuding through her unexpected Aussie swagger.

"Biggy, do it biggy, tell them keep sending bottles on my pop 50/ These other b*****s think they hot, not really/ She a broke hoe, that's how you know she not with me," Azalea brags.

Danny Brown, arguably the most underestimated rapper on this project, submitted one of its hidden gems, "Terrorist Threats," featuring rapper Ab-Soul and singer Jhene Aiko.

As expected, Ab-Soul sneaks into his listener's subconscious with fast-tempo flows and hard-hitting lyrics.

"Ain't nothing wrong with a righteous, man/ This why I had to write this, man/ For my n****s on the corner/ Selling water to somebody's daughter/ Fluctuating prices, man," Ab-Soul raps.

Brown follows the same protocol in a more desperate and crazed tone.

"Feel my pain, going insane, I'm the same/ Cause I ain't got shit but an EBT card from a fiend/ That owe me and it's in her daughter name,'" Brown raps.

As lyrically enticing as "Terrorist Threats" might be, it doesn't balance out throwaway tracks such as rapper Future's "Fettuchini" or Roscoe Dash's failed attempt at covering Drake's "Headlines," with "They Know."

This year's list might be an indicator that XXL no longer has the pull it did in years past. 2012's list was lackluster due to the amount of declined offers they received from rappers to be on the list itself. Budding rappers might have found a new formula for fame, and XXL is not it anymore.

The Game - California Republic

For the first time since the disappointingrelease of last summer's The R.E.D. Album, The Game is finally saying something worth listening to.

His latest mixtape, California Republic, consistently holds solid features from Meek Mill, Drake, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Pharrell, and more. The combination of potent bars and the omission of his usual shots at rival artists are what make this a standout mixtape.

Just two tracks in, The Game acknowledges that he was out of line for dissing rap legend Jay-Z last summer.

"I was fallin', I was slippin'/ He was Jordan. I thought I was Pippen/ He was winnin', I was losin'/ He threw a jab, I start bruisin'/ So I threw in the towel just to separate all confusion," The Game raps.

The old Game would've never owned up to a mistake like this, but a sense of maturity seems to have come over his demeanor.

Even though the project uses recycled tracks, it generally is a solid mixtape. The older tracks prove that although The Game hasn't dropped a mixtape in over a year, he's still got it.

The first two tracks, "God Speed" and "Red Bottom Boss," show how The Game has substance in his lyrics as he speaks on current events and what is on his mind. The audience gets the feeling that The Game has brought authenticity back into his music.

"I want y'all to understand what I'm about to do/ Keep it gangsta in this Louboutin designer shoe/ Front of Club Liv, stunting in a Masi coupe/ Then we're going to check China, see what King of Diamonds do," Game raps.

The mix of songs progressively pushes listeners to bump before heading to the club. There are also plenty of Jordan sneaker references that enthusiastic fans can caption their Instagram pictures with.

California Republicslows down toward its end with classic, smooth production from The Neptunes and unexpected features fromcrooner Lyfe Jennings on "The Best Revenge" and R&B artist Trey Songz on "She Want To Have My Baby."

Game keeps his target demographic in mind while still branching out on this mixtape. The typical hip-hop fan can enjoy California Republic, but The Game also reaches out to his female listeners with "The Best Revenge."

The mixtape deserves to be in any rap fan's iTunes playlist. In typical Game fashion, the 24-song tracklist seems lengthy, but no tracks should be skipped.

The Game's album F.I.V.E.: Fear Is Victory's Evolution is slated for a 2012 release.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com