Hustle Gang – G.D.O.D (Get Dough Or Die)
T.I. is one of the most talented rappers alive, but recently his projects have been wildly inconsistent and G.D.O.D. suffers from this same problem. This tape is long (20 tracks) but no individual songs really stand out. The production mostly consists of the kind of southern anthems that T.I. usually sounds great over, but Tip just sounds like he’s on autopilot. There are a few solid contributions from the rest of Hustle Gang (Young Dro sounds hungry and ready to make a comeback) but most of the verses on this mixtape are full of empty bragging and tough-talk. (Download)
Ludacris – #IDGAF
With beats by DJ Mustard, Mike Will, Bangladesh, and Metro Boomin, and features from Chris Brown, French Montana, Jeezy and more, this is an expensive-sounding mixtape. Ludacris isn’t saying much though, and these tracks aren’t catchy enough to justify the dumb lyrics. (Download)
Birdman & Rick Ross – The H
A collection of tracks Birdman and Rick Ross recorded back in 2008 that are just now being released. This tape’s beats and flows sound really dated (in spite of the DJ Khalid boast that “bitch we make timeless music”). The biggest problem with this tape though, is that Birdman is just a terrible rapper. It’s hard enough to get through one of his verses, much less a whole mixtape of them. (Download)
Waka Flocka Flame – DuFlocka Rant: Halftime Show
The regular Waka Flocka Flame ingredients are all here (drugs, violence, yelling, money, etc.). The only thing missing is a Gucci guest verse, but despite that beef with his longtime friend, Waka sounds particularly celebratory on a bunch of tracks on Halftime Show. There are a still a bunch about of chaotic and angry tracks, but Waka is starting to rap more about his riches. (Download)
Travi$ Scott – Owl Pharaoh
This guy is supposed to be what’s next in hip-hop. He’s an XXL Freshman who’s a part of Kanye’s team, but I honestly don’t get all of the hype. His production ranges from generic trap beats (“Quintana”) to overly-experimental beats that I can’t vibe with (“Bad Mood / Shit On You”). (Download)
