I can already see the hate emanating from a few readers as
they see another “Lil Rapper” embroidered with face tats, and that’s okay hate
if you must, just hear me out. Lil Skies is a pop rapper, he makes easy breezy
songs that are catchy and fun. If you come into this album expecting that you
will be pleasantly surprised. There isn’t really a bad spot on this album, at
14 tracks the album is a fun smooth listen filled with catchy hooks, sappy bars
(sappy bars>>>>), and some pretty good 2018 production. 4/5
Another month another rapper collab tape, this time is the
long awaited(?) Quavo & Travis Scott tag team. This one had been rumored
all the way back in late 2016, when Bad and Boujee was everywhere and people
were giving credit to Donald Glover for its boost in popularity(lmao). Yes 2016
was trash, and this mixtape is pretty close to trash too. There’s nothing here
really interesting, save a for a few quality instrumentals. Quavo and Travis
just drone on in autotuned (this is proof there can be such a thing as too much
autotune) lifeless “verses”, not once saying something remotely interesting.
This is a dud and much like a lot of other collab tapes will probably be
forgotten soon. 2/5
The hardest working young man in rap, NBA Youngboy joins
forces with the also prolific Moneybag Yo. Moneybag has been dropping constant
tapes throughout the past few years, showcasing his nice flow and delivery and
an aura of experience not really seen in most of his contemporaries (mostly because
they are all barely 20+ years old. I enjoyed this collab tape almost as much as
Super Slimey, yet I felt it sort of dragged on at some certain points. Contrary
to popular belief there is such a thing as too much NBA Youngboy and you can
feel it throughout this tape, the same could be said for Yo yet his verses
usually feature some clever wordplay or humor to keep me entertained. At 14
tracks Fed Baby’s isn’t overly long, but some of these tracks could’ve been
left off and you would’ve had collab tape of the year right there. Regardless,
this tape is fun you just need to remove the filler. 3/5
YSL records upstart Gunna drops his yearly Drip Season tape
for the 3rd year in a row, and contrary to his past iterations, I’m
paying attention now. Gunna can seem like a Young Thug clone, that’s pretty
much what he is at the core, but he seems to be coming onto his own in this
tape. He flows throughout the tape in fun and creative ways in a smooth sing
songy flow that seems oh-so smooth (it drips). In all honesty Drip Season 3 strengths
lie in its solid features and great beat selection. Gunna keeps things
interesting throughout this tape with some of the best instrumentals I’ve heard
in rap tape this year (so far) and has just enough solid features to keep
things fresh from track to track. It would be nice to see if Gunna can become a
better writer and make his verses a bit more interesting but for now this is a
solid tape, and the YSL records rapper has definitely grabbed my attention. 3/5
22-year-old rap game OG, Chief Keef dropped around 5
projects last year of all varying quality and styles. Dedication, his last tape
of 2017 and quite possibly his best serves as solid reminder of why the young
rapper has been so influential in most of today’s most popular artist. Contrary
to his earlier and personal favorite, Thot Breaker, Dedication is a strictly
rapping project. Keef flexes his variety of flows throughout the project,
keeping things interesting while way more polished than his previous tapes. Straight
bangers are offered throughout this tape which is always pretty common place in
Chief Keef’s music, yet with a more polished and focused effort, which
definitely pays off. Thot Breaker continues to be my favorite project of his
from last year, but Dedication definitely closes a solid year for the already
rap game OG Chief Sosa. I say all that to say this: “The beat on Kills is the
hardest thing of all 2017 and Keef never fails to flex on hard beats” 4/5
