Mixtape Monthly #11
By BRIAN JOSEPHS and ELVA AGUILAR | Feb. 28, 2013Curren$y - New Jet City New Jet City is sort of like those character development episodes of a lot of sitcoms; those episodes where a character has a potentially life-changing event (see: the episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Will meets his long-absent father). These could be impactful moments, but the viewer already knows the character's demeanor isn't really going to change, as it may throw off the show's comedic scenario. Here, Curren$y feels like he's at the cusp of changing his signature hazed-out demeanor, but on some tracks, he reverts back to it and sounds comfortable, which make for some of the mixtape's best moments. New Jet Citytrips up when Curren$y tries to place himself in these landscapes that vary from Southern bounce ("B***h Get Up" with Juvenile and "Choosin" featuring Wiz Khalifa and Rick Ross) to lush backdrops ("Three 60" featuring Juicy J). It's not that the varying production makes the album feel disconnected - the beats are actually consistently solid. The problem is how disconnected Curren$y himself sounds on such beats, which is strange to note because of how he generally sounds apathetic in his raps.
