Once in a while a rapper and his music comes along and that exemplifies the state of the game. Through out hip hop's glorious past we have seen many different movements. In the early 1980's we've seen Run-DMC usher in and epitomise a new style of rap and attitude. Likewise Public Enemy was the face of the conscious era in the late 1980s. N.W.A and all it's affiliates was the go to guys when it came to gangsta rap. Since the late 1990's the game have been trending more and more street- thus leaving you and I (the fans) stuck with music filled with street sh-t. Now, for the few that don't know what I mean about street sh-t all one have to do is go to any hood and you'll know what I'm talking about. In short rap music is filled with drug usage & dealing, strippers & prostitution, gambling & hustling, robbing & stealing, alcohol abuse & drunkenness and everything else you can see in the streets of the hood. With all of that being said, when reviewing music of this era one have to keep in mind the state of the game and judge the project on the times and current trends.
2 Chainz is that rapper that comes along every once and a while that will become the face of this current trend. His first release is titled B..O.A.T.S ( Based on a true story) and it's filled with just about everybody that's making it happen in the rap game right now. The song titled: Birthday Song featuring Kanye West is a slowed down gangsta groove that have the streets and radio going nuts. On the track Chainz drops some of the most trifling and silly lyrics that I've heard so far this year. Kanye West spits a verse that brings the songs subject matter altogether. But when you hear Chainz hollering things like "when I die bury me inside a Gucci store" you have to think this guy can say just about anything and people will feel him.
Another hot song from the project is titled:Ghetto Dreams featuring Scarface and John Legend. On this song the production has a gangsta vibe to it, which is perfect for one of the original gangstas (Scarface) to do his thing. What really make the song crazy is John Legend's vocal delivery over that style of production. This is clearly one of the best features on the entire project.
Lil Wayne joins 2 Chainz on the song titled: Yuck. The production sounds very theatrical, well in a southern gangsta kind of way.During the song Lil Wayne hit us with yet another long chorus which sounds like an entire verse. But the verses is handled by 2 Chainz himself and of-course he spits his usual braggadocios flow. All in all this song is kind of funny; well I hope that's what they were aiming for.
On the song titled: Extremely Blessed featuring The Dream we find 2 Chainz rapping over a slowed down R&B track about-how fine this certain lady is and how he would like to get with her. Another slow jam on the project is titled: In-Town. And the song is about hooking up with that special someone that lives out of town. In particular it's about handling your business as a business man, professional athlete or touring artists and reaping the sexual benefits that their profession has to offer. Not to creative but I'm sure some of us can relate.
The word relate is the perfect term to use for 2 Chainz first release. When I think about it other artists like Wacka Floca, Young Jezzy Drake, Nicki Minaj and others all have features on this project which guarantees that many fans will relate to these songs. Also we can look at how 2 Chainz spits his simplistic country fried flow as the perfect tool to relate to his core audience. At the end of the day that's what it's all about. To have some one relate to your struggle, your words, and your music. Until next time have some fun and get something done.
Hiram Akeem
