MIXTAPE REVIEW: Yelawolf- Trunk Muzik Returns
Yelawolf is a rapper that I, until recently, wrote off. I used to lump him in the same group as MGK (Inadvertent Racial Stereotyping? Probably); I considered it testosterone-laden music made for college girls. Of course, being the idiot I am, I didn’t realize that Yelawolf is actually a talented MC with a lot of technical (and some lyrical) skills. Last year I finally checked out Radioactive, which while I didn’t find it nearly as bad as the rest of the world, I still thought it was fatally flawed. It felt like a neutered version of something much better. Turns out, it was! I then listened to his pre-Radioactive mixtapes, which were pretty good.
Then, this year, he dropped a fiery verse on A$AP Rocky’s 1 Train, which made me gain a whole new level of respect for Yelawolf. I mean, it’s pretty damn impressive to sound good on a track with A$AP, Kendrick, Joey Bada$$, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T. (Especially when you sound better than a few of the MCs you’re rapping with). So, I met the arrival of Trunk Muzik Returns with both enthusiasm and skepticism. Luckily, this project is pretty satisfying.
The first three tracks alone exert an energetic confidence that was missing on Radioactive. Each track has a drive to it that makes it feel far more natural than much of the big-label BS from Radioactive. Whether the tracks have intensely sparse percussion beats like on F.A.S.T. Ride or a more laid back and spacious beat on Fire Starter, Yelawolf’s delivery and flow injects a kind of stimulant into each track. Sometimes, he brings an intensity verging on insanity to a track like Catfish Billy that takes it to a new level (THAT SCREAM).
Trunk Muzik Returns also does a great job at showing precisely what was wrong with Radioactive, specifically by doing what that album did in a more concise, more enjoyable manner. The hooks, while still really stupid, are infectious and fun. Catfish Billy and F.A.S.T. Ride, have stupid hooks, but they’re still incredibly enjoyable (F.A.S.T. Ride’s hook especially). There also seems to be a more concerted effort to intelligently integrate guest verses. On Radioactive, many of the guests felt tacked on to make tracks more…”Accessible”? Here, guests are used in a way that actually makes sense with the tracks. And none of them take away from Yelawolf himself. The only one who feels somewhat out of place is Raekwon on Rhyme Boom, and that’s only because he is blown out of the water by Killer Mike’s fantastic verse (Seriously, this man can do no wrong). Plus, Tennessee Love takes the middle part of Radioactive and makes it tolerable.
The production here is nothing to get excited about. Other than Box Chevy Part 4, none of the beats are bad. But none of them really have a punch to match Yelawolf. Tracks like Catfish Billy sound great, but it’s mainly due to Yela’s delivery, not the production. Save Tennessee Love (Which has some really nice slide guitars), there isn’t a single beat that really sticks out, since they all feel somewhat generic. Except Box Chevy Part 4. And that one only sticks out because it’s awful.
Whether or not this mixtape will translate to his upcoming efforts (Which includes a collaborative album with Big K.R.I.T.) is yet to be seen. However, this mixtape does give a whole lot of evidence against writing Yelawolf off. It cements the fact that he’s a solid MC, and more proof that good Hip-Hop can indeed come out of the South.
Summary: Feeling like an apology for Radioactive, Trunk Muzik Returns gives Yelawolf a chance to show off some absolutely explosive delivery, proving that we can’t write him off just yet.
Choice Cuts- F.A.S.T. Ride, Rhyme Boom, Tennessee Love
Leftovers- Box Chevy Part 4
3.5/5
You can download Trunk Muzik Returns right here.
ALBUM REVIEW: A$AP Rocky- Long.Live.A$AP
Style over substance.
This is the common complaint I hear about A$AP Rocky. And it’s not hard to prove. The guy relies on his charisma and production, lacking a bit in the lyrics department (And possibly in the flow department). But does any of that matter in the big picture of things? Depends on who you are.
Really, the first thing that sticks out here is that this is really just a glorified version of his star-making mixtape, LiveLoveA$AP from two years ago. The difference is that the production is clearer (Which I think is a good thing), and there are bigger guest stars. The beats are still spacious and cloudy, and A$AP’s lyrics are still ehhh.
I think what’s interesting are the ever so slight differences. The one thing I’d say is that A$AP’s flow has improved quite a bit. While some of his deliver on his original tape was choppy and uninspired, here he uses a wide variety of styles and manages to make most of his delivery work. It’s not the most original delivery on earth, but it’s still a massive improvement. It helps make up for his dopey lyrics, which helps the album quite a bit, too. I mean, you can only hear so much about Dolce…
It really matches A$AP’s classier tendencies better than before. I mean, his braggadocios energy (As cliche as it is) goes well with the giant beats and his love of high fashion. Plus the sky-high space that a lot of these cloud rap beats occupy was iffy on his earlier works, but now they work far better than ever before. I will say that some of the production elements (Especially Rocky’s repetitive voice modulation) get grating after a while. I mean, I don’t know what that deep voice is trying to accomplish, but it gets old after two songs. And it’s on all of the first 4 tracks. I mean, it’s overkill.
I’d go more into lyrics but it’s not really worth it, since if you’re coming to A$AP for lyrics, you’re in the wrong place. I mean, you get some crazy lyrics and flows on 1 Train (I’ll get back to that), but other than that you get some really basic lyrics. It’s never about what A$AP says, but rather how he says it over the beat. And luckily that’s improved, as I said before.
Photo Courtesy of Pitchfork (Taken by Phil Knott)
The song quality here is probably the biggest improvement. While there are some points where things get a bit monotonous (The first 4 tracks are all good, but there’s not a whole lot of variety). But his mixtape was entirely made up of tracks like that. Here, he still has a ton of those tracks, but he throws in a lot of other styles, too. There’s the cypher/banger 1 Train, the Radio track F**kin Problems (Which I unironically adore), and that Skrillex track that’s oddly pretty awesome. While I wish he pursued more when it comes to styles of song, there’s still a lot of growth here.
Also, this album brings in a whole lot of guests, which outside of previous singles are a bit underwhelming. Schoolboy Q is serviceable on PMW (All I Really Need), but not much else. The rappers that I haven’t heard of (OverDoz and Birdy Namnam) are mediocre…and have hideous names to boot, Also, I think Santigold’s hook on Hell is absolutely atrocious. It’s off-key, ugly, boring, repetitive, and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album. Plus it awkwardly fits over the beat. It ruins the song.
The places where the guests really work are F**kin’ Problems and 1 Train. F**kin’ Problems has that amazing 2 Chainz hook (The guy’s growing on me), a solid Drake verse, and an alright Kendrick verse (Which is fine, because he outdoes himself later). It’s a Hip-Hop extravaganza with a catchy hook, nice production, and keeps all the radio bait tolerable and on 1 song. And then there’s the posse cut 1 Train, and man oh man is that fantastic. Every rapper (Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T.) drop some of their best verses, and it keeps you at the edge of your seat. It’s like a fully grown version of what Huzzah! (Remix) tried to predict two years ago. Oh, and say what you will, but that Skrillex track is too hype for me not to love it.
The album is front loaded, as the tracks after 1 Train are not much more than alright. But this is still a good debut album. A$AP has improved, adapted his sound well to a new label, and made a good and fun album. It’s nothing deep or thought provoking, but it does that job it goes out to accomplish. And in today’s Hip-Hop world, that’s a lot to ask for. If you were expecting something like another good kid, m.A.A.d. city, you shouldn’t have been. It’s good, and it met my expectations, but it’s nothing incredibly special or revolutionary. It’s just a pretty good radio Hip-Hop album. Especially when it comes to debut albums.
Summary: While it does rely a bit on production and guests, Long.Live.A$AP is still an improvement from his tapes, and it makes for a solid record with some great songs and good production.
Choice Cuts: Long Live A$AP, F**kin’ Problems, 1 Train
3.5/5
Stream the titular song below. Long.Live.A$AP is out now on RCA/ A$AP Worldwide
Vantage Point Music 