mixtape maestro (2.0)

Given props waaaayy back at the beginning of the year as a guilty pleasure crush we just knew was going to dominate the Spring, “Delirious”, by Atlanta teen duo Vistoso Bosses, unfortunately never really managed to catch fire beyond a few blog-world hypes. So we subsequently forgot about it…that is until they decided to bless the people with a recently unearthed new vid for the Soulja Boy-featured remix.

And while we wish they could have linked up with someone like Drake (imagine the tender melodies he could’ve lain here) rather than Mr. “Turn My Swag On”, who has the nerve here to claim to be like “Hov back in ‘96″ (he wishes), we can’t help but A: admit how much this perfectly compliments Soulja Boy’s equally charming bubblegum-rap tune “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” and B: just be so highly stoked that “Delirious” actually has a second shot at smash hit-dom now, even if it is only because of the groan-worthy teen-rapper’s presence.

DL: “Delirious (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized Atlanta, bubblegum, remix, soulja boy, teen rap, vistoso bosses

When it comes to Outkast, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected, especially when it comes down to their odd (and very frustrating) refusal to not just go ahead and give the fans what they want by recording a joint album (that’s non-soundtrack-related, thank you). So with that said, it’s not too surprising that Big Boi’s latest protogee would be the hip hop/ alternative band Vonnegutt, a Gym Class Heroes-esque act from Atlanta who have been slowly making noise within the blogosphere over the past year.

The band should really grab major on-line interest with this most recent creation though, a full-on cover of the Roots/ Cody ChesnuTT (whatever happened to him?) jam “The Seed 2.0″ that they’ve engulfed in a curioso electro-hop sound. Now nothing will be able to top the utter brilliance of the original (or, for that matter, the solo Cody record that inspired it), but Vonnegutt manage to pull off an interesting take nonetheless.

Look out for Big Boi to be featured on their next official single, “Here We Go Again”, followed by The Appetizer EP which is set to drop this Fall.

(Shouts to OnSmash)

DL: “The Seed 2.0 (The Roots Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized alternative, Atlanta, cody chesnutt, cover song, outkast, rock-rap, the roots, vonnegutt

2007 promised big things for Atlanta rapper Gorilla Zoe.

Brought into the Boyz N The Hood unit to replace prized-member-turned-solo-star Young Jeezy, Zoe had the good luck to be featured on two back-to-back third-quarter ‘07 releases: BNTH’s sophomore album, Back Up N Da Chevy, and his own solo debut, Welcome To The Zoo. But beyond his initially intriguing Jeezy sound-alike-ness and the briefly popular, club-and-street-hugged bouncer that was “Hood Nigga”, neither album managed to make much of a lasting commercial mark.

It looked like Zoe was going to soon fade away into the ever-overcrowded sea of faceless rap entities…that is, until he began to pique some major interest with last fall’s gruffily sung (!!) “Lost”, a bleak, Drumma Boy-produced slow-crawler that saw him teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown.

Managing to become a modest hit, “Lost” re-sparked Zoe’s buzz, leading to wonders of how, or if, this slightly intriguing “new sound” would further be manifested on his forthcoming second LP, Don’t Feed Da Animals. Apparently, by the sounds of Animals‘ latest leakage “Echo”, it seems “Lost” was no one-off fluke away from his typical dope-boy musings.

An Auto-Tuned-favoring (yeah, he’s singing again) kiss-off that could easily be mistaken for an Akon or Sean Kingston number if it wasn’t for Zoe’s deep shower croon, “Echo” is definitely the rapper’s most pop-leaning track yet. Swirly, new wave-y synths apply a sleek, 80’s sheen behind mocking taunts towards an old girlfriend. “You did this to yourself/ Now you’re all by your self/ Acting like you hate me/ All because you ain’t me,” he smirks, pushing the knife in only deeper with the further ridiculing hook: “I’m gone and all you hear is your own damn echo/…No one to hear you/ There’s nobody near you”.

Ultimately, despite “Echo”’s needing of a bit more polish, Zoe shows here that he has to know-how to craft a decent enough Top 40 hit on par with other “rappa-ternt-sanga” entries from Kanye West and T.I.; it’s listenable and deserving of a sing-along or head nod or two. But it’s also a bit disappointing to see him jump from the darkish slant of “Lost” to super-radio-friendly Flo-Rida material so fast. It would have been nice to have a bit more edge injected (maybe a break into a straight-forward rap, or at least a guttural “uh” intro) to keep it from being so blatantly mainstream sounding and serve a stronger connection to his previous material.

You can listen to the original here, but below, peep and snatch up the slightly superior remix to “Echo” featuring none other than Diddy. Is it sad that Mixtape Maestro wishes the roles were reversed and Diddy was given more of a prominent position, with Zoe just relegated to hook and bridge duties?

DL: “Echo (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized Atlanta, auto-tune, diddy, drumma boy, gorilla zoe, remix

Ahhh….“Superfreak”!! That relentless punk-funk groove! Those wink-wink lyrics! That sax solo! The friggin’ Temptations! A serpentine vocal that made you believe he was the freakiest man on the planet! No matter how many times you’ve heard it in in your lifespan, another spin of Rick James’ 1981 OTT uber-jam will never be met with disdain.

On this new one, Atlanta producer/ rapper JIGG rejuvenates the R&B party-starter with a little strip club banger swerve, and while the idea may seem a bit ho-hum on paper (haven’t MC Hammer and Jay-Z mined this one enough?), all it takes is one taste of the opening minute’s display of James’ “Freak”-praising yowls lain atop a molasses-cruising stew of tip-toe synth stabs and other recognizable Southern thug-&-b production tricks and you’ll be quickly won over, wondering why no one thought of using the song in this way before.

Following that exciting intro, JIGG takes over the mic to relate the nature-rising joys of having down-’n-stanky, 3 AM sex sessions with the titular character. His rap contribution is decent, delivering the requisite freak banter these type of songs demand in an ear-friendly (though oh-so-distractingly Plies-like) drawl, but the anticipatory satisfaction of James’ triumphant return for each hook insertion sadly makes his verses feel like an after-thought in the overall picture.

Rick James…even posthumously his presence is hard to overshadow.

JIGG’s debut, Since 1983, is set for a Spring/ Summer release.

DL: “Superfreak” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, Atlanta, funk, jigg, make it rain, rick james, sex-rap, soul sample, southern rap

No matter how old a listener might be, or what hipster-approved sub-genre mash is currently dominating the world wide web, bubblegummy confections about puppy love will never fall out of style, especially if said song is performed by actual teenagers. With that being said, our fingers are crossed that “Delirious”, the debut single from ATL girl duo Vistoso Bosses (17-year-old Taylor Parker and 16-year-old Kelci Ferguson) becomes the inescapable hit of the Spring.

Reminiscent of the INOJ, KP & Envyi and Lumidee singular entries that came before (which were mostly satisfying because you never felt a need to ever cop any one of their respective albums), “Delirious” marries a delightful hop-scotch-soundtracking mix of Legend of Zelda flutes and lightly skittering drum pitter-patter behind the familiar narrative of dodging a secret crushes’ glances so that one doesn’t melt into a pile of giddy mush.

Pure infectiousness.

Uncategorized Atlanta, girl group, teen rap, vistoso bosses

Another season, another awesomely bizarre Andre 3000 verse and another great sample from the recently revived soul icon Willie Hutch. Add to this the pairing of two of the greatest rap duos in hip hop and you have the breathtaking “International Playas Anthem”, a joint collabo between UGK and Outkast that should have hip hop heads staining up their drawls.

Andre 3000, head-to-head with Lil’ Wayne as 2007’s best guest star, starts things off with his usual big screen banter after finding “the one”. We follow him disconnect with all of the other ladies in his phone book (“I CC’ed every girl that’d I see-see around town/ And hate to see y’all frown but I’d rather see her smilin’”) while his homies are left concerned for his well-being (“You know we got your back/ Like chiroprac-tic/ If that bitch do you dirty/ We’ll wipe her ass out in some detergent”) in a vivid verse that will you have you envious of the man’s endlessly creative prose.

Over a minute in and the drums finally fire up, giving Pimp C, Bun B and Big Boi that unnerved energy as they hit the ground running with lyrics lit with blunt poetics that better define the ill-mannered mouthpiece of a true pimp. “Baby you been rollin’ solo/ Time to get down with the team”, Bun B seductively coaxes while his partner’s dancey flow drops lines like “Money on the dresser/ Drive a Compressor/ Top notch ho’s get the most/ Not the lesser” with the heavy thud of a sledgehammer. Meanwhile Big Boi’s contribution ends the song on the same high note it began, his nimble delivery spliced with spooky screwed up segments that never disrupts his concentration.

Even with all these great emcees strangling eachother for who’ll end up with the top prize, the true star of “IPA” is Hutch’s blax-soul epic “I Choose You”, making a recurring sampled appearance and not sounding any less transcendent even with all the overexposure. It’s gentle cascade of wailing harmonies makes for a grand mural for the double duos to paint winning characterized hood tales, confirming why DJ Paul and Juicy J turn to “The Mack” so often when they decide to hit the crates for something inspiring. The production is deemed even more magnificent with the slight manipulations Paul and J give it, mainly letting the sample play out with only subtle variations to help distinguish each verse.

Bringing us closer to the “true” Outkast album we’ve grown tired of waiting for and finally giving the boys of UGK the right jump-off for their heavily delayed reunion album UGK Underground Kingz, “International Playaz Anthem” is an all-around mass achievement for all parties involved with the musical legacy of the late Hutch earning the blue ribbon.

Uncategorized 70's, andre 3000, Atlanta, big boi, dj paul, juicy j, outkast, posse cut, soul sample, southern rap, three six mafia, ugk, willie hutch