Add-2 – More Missed Calls
Add-2 makes rapping sound easy. He flows endlessly and piles bars up without breaking a sweat. However at 20 tracks, this tape is overlong and the songs all tend to blur together. Add-2 talks too much about how good he is and too little about his personal life, opinions and philosophies. Don’t get me wrong though, the dude is an incredible pure rapper. (Download)
J. Cole – Truly Yours 2
Although it’s not quite as good as the first installment, Truly Yours 2 brings a lot of the same soulful vibes and storytelling. A few shortcomings—like 2 Chainz’ cookie-cutter verse on “Chris Tucker” and a line complaining about only being able to blow four stacks on strippers—take away from the relatability that Cole built up on the first Truly Yours project. (Download)
TiRon & Ayomari – The Wonderful Prelude Pt. 1
This duo is getting listeners ready for their upcoming full-length project with this four-track teaser. If that project ends up sounding anything like The Wonderful Prelude Pt. 1, it will definitely be worth checking out. This tape features four tracks of funky/soulful beats backing top-shelf singing and rapping. (Download)
Eddy B – HopeLess Act
April saw releases by both Eddy B and Eddie B. Different rappers, almost the same name. This seriously confused me for a minute. Eddie B’s Horsepower project was entirely produced by ascendant New York beat-maker Harry Fraud. But in spite of this, I still preferred HopeLess Act by Eddy B. Over soulful beats, Eddy’s honest storytelling is fascinating and engaging. (Download)
Young Roddy – Good Sense 2
As member of Curren$y’s Jet Life crew I’ve been hearing Young Roddy’s verses on Spitta projects for the past few years. Like Curren$y, Roddy has the ability to easily switch-up cadences and he seasons his verses with interesting little personal details. But whereas Curren$y gives off the impression that nothing ever bothers him, Young Roddy is compelling because his tracks are filled with a sense of urgency. Roddy is still trying to make it and it’s easy to root for the everyman. (Download)