The RED SKY album is probably one of the most unique projects we have gotten the chance to review.
ARTIST(S): Aja Lorraine & Wally Clark ALBUM: Red Sky
OVERALL RATING:
The RED SKY album is probably one of the most unique projects we have gotten the chance to review. It's definitely an experimental project featuring Aja Lorraine's vocals mixed with Wally Clark's production. Let's also be clear, this is NOT a rap album. If you enjoy listening to R&B like vocals over various styles of production, and you enjoy the more eclectic styles of music; this would be the album for you.
This album was more abstract in its content and production, and didn't necessarily follow the standard formats for verses, hooks, etc. It seemed to have a more organic composition to it overall.
The ability of Aja to blend her writing and delivery to the production definitely showcased her strength as a vocalist. The melodies were absolutely unexpected in many of the tracks, but made sense.
One of the key factors that gave this album a good rating was the mixes. Most of the tracks were well balanced. The clarity in most of the tracks is what made this a smooth listen.
Tracks like BEEN AWAY could have used a little less on the synths, and WHAT KINDA CAT had some horns that would have been better more prominent in the mix.
While the production had a good range even within tracks, with drops and sequences that created various moods within the songs; there were some tracks like 1 SIDED LOVE and SKIN TO SKIN that seemed a bit monotonous after a while. The best songs were those that had a variety of sequences where Aja would follow the moods it created.
Our top picks for this album are REPO CHICKS, WHAT KINDA CAT and RED SKY. Check those out and let us know which ones are your top picks.
Overall, if you're looking for something more experimental and less Hip Hop; this is a good project to check out. There are links below with streaming and purchasing options.
The Snooze Button is definitely not an album to be taken lightly or slept on. It's properly titled and boasts a myriad of tracks that will make any fan of Hip Hop remember why they enjoyed emcees in the first place.
ARTIST(S): Annex (@annexhiphop) ALBUM: The Snooze Button LP
OVERALL RATING:
The Snooze Button is definitely not an album to be taken lightly or slept on. It's properly titled and boasts a myriad of tracks that will make any fan of Hip Hop remember why they enjoyed emcees in the first place. There's a total of 12 tracks, including intro and outro; and the production ranges from hard drops and bass lines to smooth production with insightful lyrics.
The opening track, "Respect My Carpet" jumps off with an authoritative flow and anthemic production. Annex makes it clear he understands the limitations of lyrical emcees, while still demanding the respect for his craft as an artist.
He follows it up with "Over My Dead Body," that features hard hitting production along with the slightly dismissive tone we once knew emcees to thrive off of. In one of his verses, he has the following advice for the younger generation: "Smarten up young thug / they want you talking about the guns and the drugs / they love to hear you ni**as scream no love / it's fuel for the agenda before they pull the rug"
This album has a lot of gems for thought mixed within the wordplay, and it will take a few listens to catch all the lines. The good part about this project is that most tracks will actually make you want to listen again. The delivery and texture of his voice flows well with the production of the tracks; so, it makes for a good listen. His ability to transform his delivery is obvious in tracks like "On My J.O." and "Don't Remind Me."
The features on this project from Laws, Vayga, imagiin360, Knucklez, Mike Mass, Aja Lorraine, Laz, J. Scriptz, B. Worthy and Jae Luis bring their own style to the respective tracks they appear on. His ability to pick good features was one of the things that gave him a good rating. So many times, features take away from the album, and for the most part, his features didn't water down the project at all.
Nonetheless, the few weak points of the album were on tracks like "This World," where the mellow feel was definitely needed, but it lacked the impact it could have had with a hook was mixed with a bit more strength and the production had a few more buildups in the instrumental.
Some of the mixes on the instrumentals clashed a bit as in the track, "On My J.O." that should have probably had horns on a different octave so as not to take from the vocalist. Other than that, the only lacking element from the album was the fluidity between tracks. This could have been a good storyline album, but it lacked the cohesive interludes to phase in between tracks.
Overall, the project was solid and a must have for any Hip Hop enthusiast that loves raw indie rap with no filters. Annex not only found his voice, but stepped his character up a bit more through the years and it shows in every verse he drops on this album. Seeing the growth from the last project was indeed refreshing.
We'll finalize this review with the following Annex line from his outro track: "You're self-driven if you're doing what you love / but understand that even the best of us benefit from a shove."
There are rarely groups that truly go outside of the box to deliver some good music mixed with great comedy AND dope production. This is definitely one of THOSE kind of projects.
ARTIST(S): FoulMowf & Hagan Lee ALBUM: Here to Hear
OVERALL RATING:
So, we received this project from some St. Petersburg emcees that redefine the meaning of UNIQUE. There are rarely groups that truly go outside of the box to deliver some good music mixed with great comedy AND dope production. This is definitely one of THOSE kind of projects. FoulMowf and Hagan Lee combine forces to create a completely unfiltered approach that will have you rewinding just to hear the wild punch-lines and metaphors used throughout the project.
Opening up the album with a completely comical sample; the beat drops to expose their absolute dedication to hard hitting production on "You Can Find Me." While opening up the album with a long track of features is usually not the best move, it did create the feeling necessary to understand exactly how diverse these guys could be.
Tracks like "Dominate," "Morning" and "Words" will definitely be one for the Hip Hop heads to save in the playlist. The authoritative flows and production on these tracks are enough to gain respect in any circle of emcees.
One of the most unique and hilarious tracks is "Smart Dummy." FoulMowf's off the wall delivery and completely insane lyrics are one of our favorites on this project. It's definitely not a track for those easily offended; but if you can take a joke, this will be one of those tracks that people play back for their friends simply because of how crazy it really is. The production definitely compliments the flow and it simply WORKS.
Overall, the project was solid and one of the most creative sounds we have heard in a while. There were some weak points to the project, which were mainly mix related, thus dropping their rating here. "Black Hoodie" was a dope track and concept, but the overall mix on the production could have used more strength on the low to mid-range frequencies. "Bad Seed" was another track that would have made the playlist easily had the mix had a bit more power to it. "Everything" had a great concept and sound, but the vocals needed more of bump in the overall mix; and "Strictly Commercial" somewhat drowned out FoulMowf's vocals a bit. These are a few of the examples of tracks that needed some engineer work, but also made us question what would happen with these guys on a project with a very polished mix and master.
This project is definitely a must have for those who enjoy a different sound that is both creative and still true to its roots in Hip Hop. One of the cool things about this project through the whole CD is the use of Hip Hop samples and references from ODB to KRS and more. While their sound is definitely new school, you can clearly hear the influences that heads will appreciate. This is not to say that they sound anything like Golden Age Hip Hop… believe us when we say that they have THEIR OWN SOUND. Download their project for free below and let them know what you think.
With the cover art of William Cooper's "Behold a Pale Horse," and titled, FIELD VISION, A-M-P makes it clear that his art is more than just rap music.
Artist: A-M-P (Tampa, FL) Mixtape: Field Vision
OVERALL RATING:
With the cover art of William Cooper's "Behold a Pale Horse," and titled, FIELD VISIONS, A-M-P makes it clear that his art is more than just rap music. Opening the album with an acapella over war sounds on "Draft Day," the feel of the album seems to be more political in nature but definitely takes quite a few turns throughout the playlist. It's safe to say that A-M-P doesn't necessarily stay in any one lane on this album.
Tracks like "Good Mood" and "Friends Mutual," put an unexpected twist on his style. Though it's versatile (and versatility is generally a good thing), it could also divert some listeners to pick and choose tracks as opposed to listening to the whole project in one take.
An obvious strength of the album is his more conscious tracks like "New Nation" where the wordplay picks up a bit, and his ability to paint the concepts through lyrics work well. A definite REPEAT TRACK would be "Someone to Hold" that has a strong vocalist hook, and the verses tell a clear story for any listener to sink into.
The production and arrangement of most tracks give them a good vibe and the mix on this mixtape was absolutely clean. The sound from track to track was even and there weren't much weak points on the mixes track by track. The mix held a lot of the weight in the final overall rating on this review. Minus a few bumps in levels here and there, we couldn't complain about this one on general sound at all.
While this project was generally well done, it didn't stand out a lot in regards to wordplay and delivery. The content was great and topics ranged from relationships to 120 lessons, but there wasn't enough fluidity between tracks; and sometimes the delivery was a bit too mellow on some tracks like "Good Mood." There were times when the laid back approach could have used a more lively approach.
Another pain point for this mixtape would be some of the hooks on tracks like "Shut 'em Down" and "Two Bad Chicks," which could have used a little bit of work on the hooks. It took away from the value of songs that had some potential.
Overall the album was clean and well diversified. I would like to see a more conceptual project from him in the future where he chooses a lane for that specific project and runs with it. A few of these tracks made it to our playlist. Get your copy online
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Every so often there comes an artist who projects a very sociable personality that is both authoritative and friendly. Infinite Skillz is one of those types of artists, and he accurately titled his mixtape, "You're All Invited."
Mixtape: You're All Invited
Artist: Infinite Skillz (St. Petersburg, FL)
OVERALL RATING:
Every so often there comes an artist who projects a very sociable personality that is both authoritative and friendly. Infinite Skillz is one of those types of artists, and he accurately titled his mixtape, "You're All Invited."
From the beginning of the mixtape, the energy is unmistakable. "Break It Down" is the perfect wake up track and his delivery definitely fits the mold of the production. His remakes of industry tracks like "Grind So Hard" are good remakes, but it would have been good to see them more distinctive to his style as opposed to sounding a bit too much like the originals. Perhaps that was the purpose, but it would have been good to hear it a little differently.
One obvious plus to Infinite's mixtape is that his ability to create hooks makes the songs catchy and memorable. Many times artists get caught up in the verses and forget the importance of a hook. This artist doesn't make that mistake and weaves both rap and vocal hooks that complement each track. Tracks like "Rogaine" and "Same As You" validate this point.
If one thing that could be said about him as an artist throughout this mixtape; it's that his ability to mold himself around beats makes him versatile enough to survive the changing trends. The only track that really didn't fit him well was "Pretty Nasty." While the track had a good hook and he was obviously on beat; it just didn't fit his persona very well and it came through on the delivery a bit.
The mixtape was an overall QUALITY PRODUCT, and it's FREE; so there's really no reason to avoid listening to it. It needed some work on the mixes that were missing a little low end frequencies, but everything above 120hz+ (rough estimate) seemed to be leveled well. Overall, 3.5 boots on this one. With some fine tuning, it could have been 4, but we'll be sure to keep our eyes out on the next one and watch the growth.
It's not often you get a well-rounded artist who can deliver on differing styles of music with the same energy and quality as that which makes them most comfortable. J-Scriptz is one of those kinds of artists.
Artist: J-Scriptz
Mixtape: Afraid of the Dark
Release Year: 2012
OVERALL RATING:
It's not often you get a well-rounded artist who can deliver on differing styles of a genre with the same energy and quality as that which makes them most comfortable. J-Scriptz is one of those kinds of artists. His ability to utilize various styles and incorporate them into his project is probably one of his greatest strengths; but it can also be costly in reviews like these that pick apart every aspect of a project from lyrics to production to mix.
To start off, the mixtape had a good vibe to it. While, it would have been preferable to hear less features; there were a lot of tracks with serious potential on this project. His intro titled, "Angels in the City" presented a strong introduction with lyrics to match the hard hitting production. He made it very clear he can get deep on a track and utilize wordplay and voice projection to his benefit.
Tracks like "More Than Ever" showed a real life depiction of love and its joys versus its struggles. He shows his devoted side on this by saying, "It's unconditional, my love for you is overdose / your baby blues are the reason I lost my lonely hopes / you helped me build a lifeline / that perfect smile got me staring for a lifetime." The women will enjoy this track on the emotional value it presents.
Another repeat track, and probably the strongest track on the project was "Afraid of the Dark" (the title track of course). From the production to the lyrics this cut was a definite banger. Unfortunately, the mix could have used some work to bring out the snares and some other 1K-ish frequencies. A small amount of compression on the instrumental probably would have also helped.
This was the major complication of the review throughout the project. While the songs were well put together; production selections were strong; and lyrics were delivered with quality; the mix lacked throughout the project, and It left the listener wanting to FEEL MORE of the track and not just the lyrics. While the overall objective of artists like this are to make the music vocally dominant on the mix to give clarity; sometimes it's overdone and the overall track loses the support of strong instrumentation. It seemed to be the case on this project.
Nonetheless, tracks like "Afraid of the Dark" still boasted lyrics like, "Try to cope, steady looking for a better half, I'm satan's prodigy profiting from a deadly past / It's so inaccurate, swiftly thinking I captured it; murdering all these pacifists thinkin they know half of it."
The only other feedback that could probably contribute to a better project on the next one would be to enlist a few singers. "Father Forgive Me" definitely needed a singer for the hook and "No More" was generally good; but could have stood out more on the vocal hooks. It was too bland of a melody and slightly drowned into the background of the song.
Overall, this is a good project to download and listen to. There's a few repeat tracks that made our playlists; so support your indies and download this project today. IT'S FREE!!!
ALBUM RATINGS
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Without a doubt, Cambatta has been a boot slap favorite for a while with good reason. His ability to weave random mental pictures with insightful messages makes him one of the more respected emcees.
Artist: Cambatta Mixtape: Smoke & Mirrors: The Porch
OVERALL RATING:
Without a doubt, Cambatta has been a boot slap favorite for a while with good reason. His ability to weave random mental pictures with insightful messages makes him one of the more respected emcees. This mixtape is no exception to the consistency he puts out, and anyone who is a Cambatta fan will not be disappointed by this release.
His conversational rap style does his intro justice, with flutes bringing in a smooth, feel good type of vibe on the production. Despite his laid back style of delivery; his lyrics are rampant with clear wordplay over strong punch lines. Listening closely, tracks like Brief Conversation unfold with the following lines, "As I analyze life, question every facet / like what it really takes to get that legendary status."
His genuine feelings seem to come out on this mixtape, and anyone who enjoys analyzing life will appreciate his views and presentation of experiences and thoughts.
Like with most lyrical artists, there's always a smoke song, and Cambatta doesn't hesitate to drop one on his project called, The Chronic. Though it doesn't sound any bit like a Dr. Dre masterpiece; this artist paints his own legendary work with a feature from Rafijah Siano. This track is a definite repeat "offender" on the radio controls.
The thing with this project is that it's an easy mixtape to play on repeat and enjoy the vibe to. The mixes and production are strong and clean; and the composition of the music from the beats to the lyrics are simply THAT good.
The only downsides from this side that we could identify on this project were a few mixes that could have used more power on the kick frequencies and a few clean bass drops that could have filled in some air on a few tracks. Harry The Tubman was one of those tracks that were really great in concept and composition; but the mix took a little away from the impact of it. Nonetheless, listening from a lyrics and beat making perspective; the tracks that had these issues were still CLEARLY great tracks; which resulted in a high rating.
Overall, the album is SOLID. There's no question those who enjoy lyrics, laid back and heavy beats along with clear messages will appreciate what Cam brings on this project. This will definitely be on our MP3 rotations.
From "Bump This" to "Bail My Mind," this mixtape motivates a person to put up the house and cards for the game, so to speak. The feelings of nostalgia quickly rush to any listener that remembers the golden age NYS mind state sound of Nas.
Artist(s): Annex Mixtape: Plan 4 Success Mixtape (2011)
Overall Rating:
This mixtape is definitely REFRESHING! It seems like this year's been one with long intros, and this album is definitely no exception (oh lord, sigh); but then the beat drops in and ears go completely at ease again. From the beginning of that drop, it was apparent that this review would be a good one.
From "Bump This" to "Bail My Mind," this mixtape motivates a person to put up the house and cards for the game, so to speak. The feelings of nostalgia quickly rush to any listener that remembers the golden age NYS mind state sound of Nas.
Annex exhibits a strong control over his flow and delivery, and he seems to know what beats fit him best throughout the mixtape. Some of his delivery is reminiscent of AZ, and while that's a compliment, this will be the main challenge for Annex. Stepping away from that sound and creating more of his own will be critical for his growth as an artist.
There are definitely "album fillers" in this mixtape, but not enough to bring the ratings down. Tracks like "Shit Happens" which didn't have the strength of his initial tracks; and "Lights On, Lights Off" seemed to be an attempt at appealing to clubs and a larger demographic. This just seemed a bit out of place on this album, or wasn't the best selection for this particular project.
Overall, the tracks and beat selection were on point with him as an artist, so it's clear the producer had a good feel for the artist and his angle of delivery. This chemistry is so critical, and they pulled it off very well. This is definitely a project you can listen to straight through.
Lyrically speaking, Annex brought his A-Game. His ability to change his pitch and direction will determine his ability to make himself distinct from other artists that are probably influences of his musical preference, but with his talent, there's no doubt he can pull it off.
If you love Hip Hop, you will want to listen to this album. He's got some relevant tracks and shows a great promise. As we looked forward to this album, we continue to look forward to MORE of Annex in the coming months here at BSR. He's definitely become one of our most notable on talent alone.
Tampa has a host of talented individuals and crews that bless its Hip Hop scene, but few that have the unique blend of sounds that The Rukus brings to the table.
Artist(s): The Rukus Mixtape: The Patience Project (2011)
Overall Rating:
Tampa has a host of talented individuals and crews that bless its Hip Hop scene, but few that have the unique blend of sounds that The Rukus brings to the table. Made up of KeithElite, Rude and DJ Blenda; this trio has released their latest project titled, THE PATIENCE PROJECT; which featured a blend of original production, DJ cuts and features from some notable artists.
Starting off the project, they definitely show a lot of love and get all the shouts out of the way in track one. Many of Tampa's artists, DJ's and promoters will find their names on that long list of shout outs and then off to the music it goes.
With a strong message on "The Break's Over," The Rukus expresses their feelings about the current state of artistry today, and their current contribution to lyricism and substance in music. While the mix is not what it probably should have been, the production and lyrics definitely make up for it. This resonates throughout the project, but there were definitely some tracks worth a serious recommendation.
Tracks like "Days Fly By," featuring Geno and Sen-C give a great nostalgic feel with relevant content on how life moves so quickly by. "The Banger," featuring Mike Mass and Dynasty is by far one of the best tracks on the project. It is worth some mention that Mike Mass' verse was probably one of the strongest on this track and contributed to its feel in a considerable way.
One of their single tracks currently being pushed, "A Song for the People" could best be described as pure quality music. This track definitely epitomized the concept of making music and not just Rap. The feel of this song is inspiring and moving at the same time. "Amazin'" was by far the best track on the whole project, featuring the strong content of Jinx and E-Digga; it could possibly snap the rewind button and make a few listeners make use of their warranty services.
Just like every project, there were some down sides to this project as well. Overall, the mixes on the tracks are what hurt the ratings a bit. Tracks like "Where We At Now" and "Hands High" could have used a bit more balancing between vocal and beat frequencies on the EQ. "Too Easy," though picking up after the first verse did not begin strong enough. Additionally, the closing track, "Show's Over" was actually a great track, but probably was not the strongest end to the project even though it was intended for this very purpose.
Overall, this album is a must have for those individuals who enjoy something different, but VERY MUCH culture music. The features are strong, the production definitely exemplifies quality - but the mixes will need to be better on the next project. If they can make that happen; there's no denying this team will push ahead in the coming years with some epic music.
For those who are not familiar with Cambatta and his lyrical content, the latest album, Visionary 2 will serve as a quick reminder that there are still relevant artists in the Florida scene.
Artist(s):Cambatta Album Name: Visionary 2 Year of Release: 2010
Overall Rating:
For those who are not familiar with Cambatta and his lyrical content, the latest album, Visionary 2 will serve as a quick reminder that there are still relevant artists in the Florida scene. Cambatta mixes his ability to weave lyrical content into everyday experiences; and makes a definite mark on the Hip Hop scene with this latest addition.
From the start of the album with "The Re-Introduction," he create the very feel Hip Hop is known for, while shooting off lyrics like, "These are visual statements, as far as that pop shit, I have minimal patience / it feels like the end of a civilization, and I'm the only nigga escapin'" to leave the listener even FURTHER interested in hearing more.
Tracks that DEFINITELY stand out a lot on this album, which are far more than just the average two gems in most album are: "On My Way," which seperates Cambatta from the stereotypical rapper; "Unstoppable Bullet," which tells a strong message; "Light it UP," with a feature from LAWS of Justice League; and "Green Light," which describes the double-edged character of money and our need for it.
While there's not much bad to say about this album, there were some slightly low points to the overall album. Tracks like "Stoopid" could have been mixed a bit better with the sample used to make it sound clearer; "Right Back At You" wasn't too impressive compared to the other tracks around it, but the singing was nice; and "Don't Blame Me," which could have used a little more work on the hook to make it stand out a bit more.
Overall, this album was HEAT!!!! This one is a definite MUST HAVE in the collection of raw Hip Hop music. Anyone who ever doubted Cambatta's ability on the mic should definitely give this download a try. Don't miss the track, "Good Ol' Days" if you come from that Golden Age of Hip Hop. You will DEFINITELY RELATE to this!
ARTIST(S):
Artist: A-M-P (Tampa, FL)
Artist: J-Scriptz
Artist(s): The Rukus
For those who are not familiar with Cambatta and his lyrical content, the latest album, Visionary 2 will serve as a quick reminder that there are still relevant artists in the Florida scene. Cambatta mixes his ability to weave lyrical content into everyday experiences; and makes a definite mark on the Hip Hop scene with this latest addition.