mixtape maestro (2.0)

It’s funny how after all the stunned reactions arising from the news that The Neptunes wouldn’t be the sole beatsmiths on Clipse‘s upcoming Till The Casket Drops, out of the three tracks leaked over the last couple months, the one not helmed by the ‘Tunes team has ended up the most appreciated.

“Kinda Like A Big Deal” may have lacked some truly solid verses or a sturdy enough hook (and remarkably saw them outshined by guest star Kanye), but hearing Pusha T and Malice atop DJ Khalil’s hard-knock tumble just felt right, this sinister combination that excitingly hinted that Casket was going to be something special (and maybe…perhaps…hopefully produce the “Grindin” Pt. 2 we had pathetically been anticipating for so damn long).

Then arrived the worrying “I’m Gone”, a summery track swimming in slippery glossy synths, Pharrell soul-boy chirps and materialistic focus, that even when gifted with a couple oh-so-Clipse-y lines failed to really register as an actual Clipse cut for the first four or five listens.

On the latest Casket drip “Eyes On Me”, the Virginia duo unfortunately give off a similar “what the hell is going on with this album” impression. A blatant aim at commercial/ club attention (which the duo have always seemed to only be able to achieve by accident, or at least attain without losing their street grip), “Eyes” gets it’s coke-rap rhymes out early (“I’m talking cooking up that slumdog millionaire” goes one opening line) before shifting it’s entire heart during the last three-quarters at admiring the name brand-fixated vixens who love the boys’ bottomless bank accounts.

Further solidifying the record as a ladies’ anthem of sorts is a poppy boom-bap shuffle more fitting for a pop tart’s sex purr, Pharrell’s hook boast of “getting dressed like I belong on TV” and a random Keri Hilson cameo that lasts no longer than sixteen seconds. All elements that would have felt perfectly fine if this was a Pussycat Doll/ Britney Spears creation, but when placed as a backdrop for the Clipse, disappoint in it’s bid for Top 40 love.

We’ll try not to come down too hard on the duo for trying to earn some mainstream money (they did go on about blowing through “a hundred thou in a recession” on “Deal” and might just be playing things smart), but let’s hope that after this and “I’m Good”, the whole of what’s left of Casket delivers nothing but the oft-kilter production menace and clever drug-lord rhymes we’ve been yearning for.

Till The Casket Drops is set for a September release.

DL: “Eyes On Me” (alt)

Uninterested in reuniting with the Boyz N The Hood group, Jeezy has instead decided on following the route of every other successful rapper and lead off his own pack of protogee rappers under the clever title USDA (United Streets Dopeboyz of America). With a name like that and Jeezy’s involvement, it’s clear that their main topic will unfortunately revolve around the trap game as first single “White Girl” does. Like most other groups working the same “superstar rapper and his boys” make-up, though, USDA don’t really emerge out of their lead emcee’s shadow.

Yet another slick metaphor for the cocaina, “White Girl” is typical drug kingpin braggadocio over Drumma Boy’s Southern fried beat. While it’s sad that the re-glamorization of this underworld doesn’t seem to be falling out of style anytime soon, it’s interesting to see how many ways rappers can refer to it without really referring to it. ‘White girl’ is probably one of the more creative code terms yet and the chorus’ ‘Christina Aguilera’ line is a winner that’ll guarantee the hook to be oft-repeated. But when it comes to rhyming about slanging dope, unless you’re coming to the table with the imagination of the Clipse or Ghostface (the only time such blatant immorality is acceptable) or the sense of responsibility of Reasonable Doubt-era Jay Z, you’re not doing much for the hip hop game as a whole.

USDA have the swagger and understand the concept of a catchy hook, but the verses are sub-standard at best and indistinctive from most everything else this shameless sub-genre has to offer. Jeezy would’ve done better rocking three verses all on his own than introducing us to another lame clique of amateurs who obviously haven’t found success on their own for a reason.

Download: “White Girl”

First you had Jibbs turning the nursery rhyme “Do Your Ears Hang Low” into a tribute to his big bling, then you had a chorus of kids anticipating Mike Jones “superheroic” return on the youthful “Mr. Jones”, now Yung Joc becomes the latest rapper to use a dash of Saturday morning sparkle, shielding his drug marketing with espresso references on the twinkly “Coffee Shop”.

Hey if Jeezy could be the “Snowman”, I guess Joc can be your local crack barista, though the efforts to make this sound kid-friendly deserves to ruffle some flavors. Beneath lullaby melodies and a heavy staccato thump, Joc welcomes buyers to his “Starblocks” where your promised a treat that’s “whipped cream/ The same color as your latte”. Based on his singles and cameos you would think Mr. “I’m Goin’ Down” would forever be stuck in that one lazy flow, but he shows a little more skill here, endorsing a sing-song delivery that rides nicely against the “Sesame Street” beat. His lyrics could stand to be a bit more creative, though, but maybe he felt that since “Coffee Shop” sounds like a jingle anyway why not keep it simple.

To the end, “Coffee Shop” is okay for a rapper that nobody was really anticipating much else from, but the subject matter is hard to align with, especially when Joc says things like “Kids please don’t do drugs/ Just bring ‘em to me and I’ll get rid of them” amidst the infectious giggles of children. Surely, it’ll be an obvious target for Al Sharpton’s next focus.