Umpteenth mixtape that comes out of the busy year 2009. First effort ever for .38 Special aka 38 Spesh rapper from Rochester, New York, sixth mixtape for B.E.N.N.Y. aka Benny the Butcher, rapper from Buffalo, New York. Entirely produced by DJ Shay, it's a pretty demanding tape, over an hour of listening, in which there are freestyle and also several solo tracks over ringtone beats.
"Pistol on Me" is the first one, it opens a skit of shootings and screaming children, then simple boom bap synthesized and good delivery by the two emerging rappers. A dark and pungent, simple rhythm follows, which presents a technical and solid delivery by both. At the cut number three there's a nice tribute to Coolio, with Benny and 38 Spesh making their own version of "Gangsta's Paradise", good hardcore delivery.
"Half a Brick" is a slightly weaker choice than the others, due to a cheap bouncy and syncopated rhythm provided by Shay; the next track is better despite a sung hook: simple and frenetic jazzy rhythm and punctual delivery of the duo. Skit on the crack, then there are two freestyle each for 38 Spesh and Benny: the emcee from Rochester starts on a frenetic production, it follows the Buffalo rapper on syncopated rhythm, again .38 Special on a splendid rhythm borrowed from a classic, deep and triumphant jazzy vibes, closes BENNY on an excellent jazzy rhythm.
At the halfway point, the record boasts three frenetic productions on which the rappers don't seem to be at their best and even the hooks sound a little bad. When DJ Shay makes simpler and tighter beats, the rappers return to express themselves on their levels ("Cocaine Wishes"); on one of these simple and essential musical carpets, Jimmy Conway puts his signature. The simple and essential jazzy cut "We Got" anticipates some solo songs in which the duo tries to show lyrical muscles above tight and essential jazzy productions: a soulful female sample looped tight in the background helps .38 Special in "Take the Money ", then Benny goes pretty strong in "Fuck the World", on a tight and heavy rhythm. Another solo cut of 38 Spesh, this time the song is a decent sort of rap ballad.
In "The Truth" DJ Shay provides a simple and triumphant jazzy rhythm with a soulful female sample in the background, distant and hardly heard, good duo delivery. Closes "Freestyle", a good boom simple jazzy bap, one of the best rhythms provided by the producer in this tape, with deep and tense strings in the background and an excellent delivery by 38 Spesh and Benny. There's a bonus track of .38 Special, "One Brick": triumphant, simple, essential jazzy rhythm, good delivery of 38 Special, with decent functional hook.
The two young rappers, making their debut, search for their original style among a myriad of ringtone songs that aren't theirs and don't particularly make an impact, focusing on the theme of cocaine, influenced by the film of the same name from which they took the title of the tape. Not recommended.
Rating: 5/10.
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