Wiz Khalifa – 28 Grams
This is apparently what “Trap Wiz” sounds like. I know it’s a stupid song but I don’t mind “We Dem Boyz”. But on 28 Grams, it’s clear that Wiz is not able to carry the energy of that hit over the course of an entire project. The best songs on here are the ones that sound like Kush & Orange Juice like “Samo” or “The Last”. (DOWNLOAD)
2 Chainz – FreeBase
“This flow come from Drizzy, he got it from Migos, they got it from Three 6.” 2 Chainz is doing my rap-blogger job for me. The beats for “Trap Back” and “FREEBASE” go hard, and 2 Chainz has a few hot lines on here but overall this tape is mediocre. 2 Chainz’ whole persona is perfect for guest verses but gets old quickly on his own projects. (DOWNLOAD)
Low Pros – EP 1
I thought the A-Trak and Cam’ron team-up was a weird match. But now the dance /rap producer and DJ has done something even more unexpected by joining forces with the architect of modern southern and Chicago rap sounds Lex Luger to produce high-octane dance-rap novelties and they’re calling themselves Low Pros. The best track on this project is “100 Bottles”, which places Travi$ Scott’s processed primal gurgle of a voice over Low Pro’s chaotic production. This combination works great, but some of the other contributing rappers kill the vibe of the beats (looking at you Young Thug). (DOWNLOAD)
Chinx Drugz – Cocaine Riot 4
Chinx Drugz, alongside French Montana, and Troy Ave have built careers off of half-singing about selling cocaine. This style of coke rap seems to have replaced the all-serious New York hard-knock style of guys like The LOX. When done right, it can be oddly emotive and appealing. “All I Know” lists the typical rap tropes of cars, girls, drugs, and violence, but the song feels way more sad that celebratory. (DOWNLOAD)
Gucci Mane – Brick Factory
Gucci Mane must have hours of unreleased tracks just sitting on hard drives. His team continues to release new material while Guwop is locked up. There are a lot of collaborations on here with the new class of Atlanta rappers (Migos, Young Thug, Peewee Longway, Rich Homie Quan, etc.) but there’s also a collaboration with former partner Waka Flocka, which makes me wonder just how old some of these songs are. (DOWNLOAD)
Yo Gotti & CMG – Chapter One
With recent hot singles “Act Right” and “I Know”, Gotti is starting to transition from mixtape-circuit rapper to mainstream rap star. On Chapter One he highlights members of his CMG team. I expected to hear a bunch of mediocre guys who do bad impressions of Yo Gotti’s sound, but his team (Snootie Wild, Zed Zilla, & Wave Chapelle) all have unique styles which keeps the tape interesting. I’m still not a big Yo Gotti fan, but hearing “Act Right” repeatedly on the radio has made an impression. (DOWNLOAD)