Schoolboy Q – Setbacks
Well if your stuff isn’t selling on iTunes, give it away. That is what Schoolboy Q has done with his latest album, Setbacks, which is now in mixtape format. This dude sounds mad. He puts more emotion into the songs than the bitches he raps about in his songs. The guys drops names more than a 15-year-old girl in the locker room, Shady this, Dre that, Obama here, Steve Nash there. It doesn’t get old, but I’m trying to hear about his opinions on drugs, bling, money, and women, which eventually come. The guys is relatively new to the big-time mixtape game and only has a few of the unheard guests, which don’t add much, except an annoying hook on “Whats the Word.” I’ll give the guy props, he spits truth and doesn’t humble himself on “Druggy’s Wit Hoes.” He doesn’t act like he is another guppy in the pond, but a shark that is bound for larger bodies of water and this mixtape might be his ticket. “Cycle” although it may be redundant and annoying, it contains a Nas or Talib Kweli enlightened view of the street-life and the unending gangbang mentality. The sound is fresh too, the songs all have beats that aren’t stereotypically bass-heavy, but more actual instruments and always adding odd blips and bleeps. I find artist’s mixtapes to be more thorough and exquisite when they actually have something riding its reception, compared to Gucci Mane who drops crappy music on top of crap.
Dope Lyric: “On any given Sunday that pu**y a runway, she did it the fun way. I smashed it like Te-c**t-e, she did me hombre.” (FYI, Tecate is a Mexican beer)
Spin These: “Cycle,” “Figg Get Da Money” & “Druggys Wit Hoes”
Download Setbacks HERE
The Streets – Cyberspace and Reds
Mike Skinner, the seemingly lazy UK rapper with a reputation that precedes his music, has released a mixtape, a prelude, if you will, to his upcoming album. Besides the fact that this is a clever ploy to woo in his loyal followers, the album presents a hip-hop focus that he hasn’t shown before on an album. Now, British accents give off a nerdy presentation for some reason, at least compared to Schoolboy Q’s stern flow, making it hard to take them seriously. This is an interesting subject because the United States seems to be the hip hop Mecca of planet, and we tend to support our artists and don’t allow foreign rappers a chance on the radio. The tape contains an artist besides Skinner on almost every song, a very US thing to do, [as is putting a mixtape out before an album] but the beats are unique and engrossing, creating a different feeling on each song. Some of the beats are dark, some of techno/dub which is always a fresh change of pace, usually energy heavy, which Skinner usually isn’t. Some of his lyrics seem to be more of a stoned stream of consciousness, but never the less the oddball references and rhymes carry as much wit as a Late Night Comedian. This is a great tape to garner some attention towards his upcoming album Computers and Blues out Monday Feb. 7th. If the English accent isn’t enough reason to give it a listen, either for a laugh or for an open-minded excursion, you should check this out simply because it isn’t another rapper talking about the same redundancies.
Dope Lyric: “walk into the sea with clothes on. See what I’m f**king smoking, it’s so long”
Spin These: “Backstreet Bars” & “Robots Are Taking Over”
Download Cyberspace and Reds HERE
XV – Year of the Squarians
For those of you who thought John Henson was up there reppin’ the #31 UNC jersey, meet XV, the man behind the mic that warmed up crowd for Big Boi. Here is a more recent mixtape of XV, where he proves yet again that he is on the brink of stardom. He freestyles over a Kanye beat, that Lil’ Wayne ft. Drake song about playing in the sand, as well as throw in a few songs he has made since the release of his critically acclaimed pre-album mixtape Vizzy Zone. (See Hump Day Bump Day’s take on it here) You’ll notice a few of the guests featured on the album, Mac Miller, an up-and-coming rapper from Philly; CyHi (The Prince), who guest starred on a few G.O.O.D. Friday tracks, and more. XV is cool because he makes things college kids see on a daily basis, relatable and metaphorically relevant. He also constantly reminds us that he came from the boondocks but is coming to your iTunes and out to LA as soon as he drops his debut album, slated to come out later this year. Those of you lucky enough to catch the performance, consider yourselves lucky because by the end of 2011 you’ll be proud of the fact that you caught him before he got big. It will happen.
Dope Lyrics: “For those of us who stuck out like sweatpants and boners, I’d like to present you with a fly boy diploma.”
Spin These: “T.A.L.K.” “Squares” & “Right Above It”
Download Year of the Squarians HERE
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