Rick Ross - The Black Bar Mitzvah
Earlier this month, Rick Ross dropped yet another mixtape that went platinum in downloads and listens. With God Forgives, I Don't gaining certified gold status in September, the "Bawse" shows no signs of letting up and even takes this opportunity to put other MMG artists on.
This mixtape features lavish lyrics over the most popular songs of 2012 and features from Rockie Fresh, Gunplay, 2 Chainz, Drake and more. Oddly enough, however, as rich as Ross is, his verses come across as filler lines when he hops on tracks.
New MMG artist Rockie Fresh is virtually unknown, so the promotion he gained from this mixtape was necessary. Although Rockie has built a buzz for himself in Chicago, ever since he signed to MMG, nothing he has done has really caught a strong buzz. His verse over "Mercy" seemed rushed, the line "she wanna kick it like it's 4th and 10" is becoming repetitive in his raps and his verse over "Clique" was lackluster.
"Now it's the double M dream team doing somethin' special/About to kill this s*** so get the casket and the shovel/New Olympic 7s, I need rings and a medal/And I'm not from Trillville but tell 'em get up on my level," Rockie raps.
With this tape dropping before Gunplay's possible life imprisonment, Ross made an attempt to get him some valuable time on the mixtape, but it still isn't enough to move the listener.
"Yeah I'm from the hood/Yeah I'm from the floor/Holes in the roof, hardly had a door," Gunplay raps.
Maybe it's Ross' inability to turn Gunplay into something special, but nothing has surpassed Gunplay's impressive feature on Kendrick Lamar's "Cartoons & Cereal."
Everything came as expected for Ross, which is a good thing. He absolutely snapped over 2 Chainz and Kanye West's track, "Birthday."
"Time to get the money Steve Forbes got/I'm slowly climbing up, delete your spot/Net worth n***a, h**s love to Google me," Ross raps.
That song alone will have you ready to flip glass tables and throw diamonds into the crowd. If you have subwoofers in your car, we highly recommend playing this song as ride up music for anywhere you go.
The rest of the tape is quality. At first, the tape might be a little misleading, as people thought The Black Bar Mitzvah was the highly anticipated Rick Ross/Drake collaboration because of Drake's religious affiliations. And even though that's not what it turned out to be, it still is a mixtape you can listen to all the way through.
Smoke DZA - K.O.N.Y.
Meek Mill's long-awaited debut, Dreams and Nightmares, and lyrical heavyweight Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city are both due out later this month. G.O.O.D. Music's "Clique" is thriving, and PSY's Gangnam Style is No. 1 on the Billboard Rap Charts. Smoke DZA's hazed-out style of rap isn't exactly on the top of listeners' minds these days.
However, it doesn't sound like the Harlem rapper is even remotely concerned about falling from relevance in K.O.N.Y. The mixtape still follows the same formula as the "weed rap" genre he's so often associated with: strong production accompanied by a series of one-liners and shallow lyricism. The interesting thing about this release, though, is that it succeeds when it when it falls on its tropes but stumbles when it tries aggression or anything more visceral.
K.O.N.Y. is at its best when it carries a sense of nihilism and narcissism. Smoke DZA allows the impressive psychedelic production (provided by the likes of Harry Fraud and J Dilla) to surround him, and the listener can picture him snarling as he spouts some ridiculously unflattering lyricism - on "Diamonds" he's advocating promiscuity and weed, unsurprisingly.
It should all be repulsing, but it's easier to get pulled in, as DZA gets increasingly grimier. "Butta Rice" and "JFK" are instant replayables, and that's not just because of the arresting instrumentals.
The collaborative artists are pretty much on point as well. While Joey Bada$$'s verse is average at best, artists like A$AP Twelvy and King Chip more than pick up the slack. Big K.R.I.T.'s popularity slumped since he released his debut album this summer, but his hook on "K!NG" is fantastic.
The best guest verse comes from Ab-Soul on "Diamonds," the album's standout. Ab-Soul's better work has self-enlightening lyrics, which makes his tales of instant gratification all the more entertaining.
"Dip it low/Heard it's dippin' dots between yo thighs," Ab-Soul raps. "DZA got a scoop before/I'm trying to see what that be like."
K.O.N.Y. bottoms when DZA tries to provide an anthem; he ends up sounding clumsy instead of energetic. DZA doesn't sound all that interesting in the album-opening eponymous track, and the Sonny Bono punch line in "Illest N***a in Nebraska" is just awful.
Of course, misses are expected in side projects such as these. Hazed-out albums such as K.O.N.Y. don't usually have much longevity - especially at a time where there are such crucial releases in the horizon. But for the meantime, DZA's work provides a nice distraction.
On "Weed Raps," DZA says: "I heard these n***as wanted weed raps/So here's another weed rap." By all means, keep them coming.
Wiz Khalifa - Cabin Fever 2
Wiz Khalifa has had a decent year in 2012. Between the announcement of a new album, Only N**** In First Class (O.N.I.F.C.), buying a home with his fianc?(c)e Amber Rose and the news that he is expecting a baby boy soon, you would assume Khalifa's lyrics and music would flourish -hardcore Taylor Gang affiliates can rest easy, as the chronic-loving rapper hasn't changed at all on his new mixtape, Cabin Fever 2.
The majority of this mixtape falls into popular theme of heavy bass, sporadic hi-hat trill beats with a staccato delivery, music made most popular by artists like 2 Chainz and Juicy J. The beats are well produced and will catch the ear of any rap fan to the point where he or she break out into a slight head bop, but because the lyrics lack any depth, Cabin Fever 2 will end up as background music and lose steam soon.
On "Smokin Drink," featuring Compton rapper Problem, Wiz does what he does best - rap about his vices.
Another ode to marijuana and alcohol is accompanied by a hook similar to "Black and Yellow," a song that catapulted Khalifa to the top of the rap charts, but the catchy hook isn't enough to make up for the tired topics.
"So high I can't hear nobody/I can't even feel my body/Gon' need a paramedic probably/She off that cookie and a molly," Khalifa raps.
It's hard to tell whether rap techniques have become predictable or if this mixtape shows laziness. "Stu," featuring Juicy J, who is featured on this mixtape four times, takes cues from rap hit "Rack City" by California rapper Tyga - both in sound and in melody.
"100 Bottles" and "Tweak Is Heavy" are other songs that fit Khalifa's style of music, but by the time listeners approach these songs, they'll either be elated the mixtape is over or so bored they won't be impressed.
Not all is lost on this mixtape, however, the salvation lies in the closing track, "Nothing Like The Rest," which features Fall Fest opener French Montana, who seems to be a lucky charm in many rap songs recently.
Khalifa took a step away from illegal activity, and he raps arrogantly. Although the topics are materialistic, listeners can hear actual feeling in his delivery, even if it comes from a shallow place.
"Ain't the same as none of you n****s/If I was close to you I'd be ashamed of you/Get a hundred mills that's what I came to do/I guess all this money look lame to you," Khalifa raps.
It's disappointing that Khalifa won't share his monumental year with his fans. However, because Cabin Fever 2 is a mixtape, it can also be assumed that Khalifa is holding all of his quality raps for his upcoming album, which drops in December.
Jay-Z was commended for "New Day" on Watch The Throne, a song that outlined his expectations, fears and love for his unborn child - let's hope Wiz takes a similar, genuine route and impresses those who felt Cabin Fever 2 fell flat.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
