Calez – G-Unit Bundle Pack
A Chicago kid and a member of the 2008ighties crew, Calez is a skilled beatmaker and rapper. Like Chance the Rapper, his music is more influenced by No I.D. and Kanye than the current Chief Keef brand of Windy City music. This tape is only five tracks, and if you like what you hear on G-Unit Bundle Pack you should check out last year’s Kid With Raps mixtape. (Download)
Chuck Inglish – Droptops
Chuck Inglish is one of my favorite producers. His beats are usually minimal, heavy on the bass, and designed to be played loud out of your car speakers. Going through mixtapes, I usually come across the same four kinds of beats over and over again: throwback boom-bap, hyped-up molly-music, chaotic Chicago/Southern trap beats, or hazy weed music. It’s refreshing to hear something that sounds so different. (Download)
GhostWridah – Flu Game
This tape is inspired by Jordan’s famous “Flu Game” in the 1997 Finals. This was a weak month for mixtapes so a lot of the material I’m profiling here suffers from inconsistencies, and Flu Game fits that description. But GhostWridah has some impressive moments like “Turn My Back” and “Buckets” that definitely deserve recognition. (Download)
Logic – Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever
Most of the tracks I’ve heard from Logic before this mixtape seemed to be influenced by 1990’s New York rap with regards to production and flow (similar to the Pro Era crew). Some of that sound can be heard on Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever, but the majority of the production on this project seems more influenced by Southern and West Coast sounds. Like a lot of young rappers, Logic has talent but he hasn’t found a unique voice yet. He’s rapping about the same stuff rappers have been rapping about for years, but on a few tracks like “Just a Man” he shows some serious potential. On “Roll Call” he raps over the beat for “Ms. Jackson” and has no trouble delivering a rapid flow to keep pace with the elastic instrumental. (Download)