Today, for my first review of 2014, I will be reviewing Polo Sporting Goods, the new mixtape from New Jersey MC Retch. I have heard this guy on a few features and I was really feeling it. He has a grimy, mean delivery and his voice always catches whenever he starts rapping on a track. After seeing the features on this mixtape, I decided to give it a listen. Will Retch become one of my favorite underground artists with this new mixtape?
To start with the production, it is all done by Thelonious Martin. The beats on this mixtape don't have a whole lot of variety to them. I woudn't say this is a bad thing, though, as this happens on most projects that are only done by one producer. There were some seriously great instrumentals on this project, and the first one that really stuck out to me was the song Burgundy Windbreaker. This one made use of some happy, high-pitched synths that went in and out of the same melody throughout the song. It was a very catchy beat and it had an emotional, fun vibe to it. Pimp Sport was another good beat, as it featured a relaxing female vocal combined with some soft percussion sounds. This beat sounded really great. The best instrumental on this album was easily the intro, Graceful Jewelry Removal. It was unlike any hip hop beat I have heard in a while, as it had a very unique and chilling sound effect playing throughout it, and i don't even know what it is, but it sounds amazing. This song also had a sinister synth line going on that gave it a dark vibe. This instrumental was just fantastic. Overall, the beats on Polo Sporting Goods were pretty good, and I really can't complain about any individual one, though I just wish there was more variety.
Retch's vocal performance on this mixtape was just awesome, to put it simply. This guy has some great qualities as a rapper. For one, he raps with a bossy and insolent demeanor on a lot of these songs. He definitely has a lot of personality. He also uses a huge variety of flows and has a pretty unique voice. On the song Odd Sweaters 1992, Retch pulls out one great line after another, as he really flexed his lyrical skills on this song. His flow was also on point, as it sounded effortless and calm. The best song on this album from a technical rapping standpoint was definitely Paul Allen's Business Card. Right from the start of this song, Retch's flow was very different from the other songs, and it was just such a memorable flow. He rode the beat so well and kept changing his delivery and flow up as the song went on. I was very impressed with his abilities on this song. Lyrically, my favorite song on this mixtape was Special Jim. This is really the only song where Retch tells a legit story. He talks about friend named Jim who a paraplegic competing in the special olympics. He really gets detailed, talking about what Jim liked on his ice cream, what he wore, and what his family was like. This track was very sentimental and the lyrics were fantastic. As far as features go, familiar names Ab-Soul, Action Bronson, and Dash make appearances, and they were all decent, but none of their verses were as good as Retch's in the songs they were on. It was a little disappointing. Ab-Soul was probably the best though, just delivering a very solid verse with some nice punchlines.
POLO SPORTING GOODS WRAP UP
+Retch is an excellent MC flow wise and has great delivery
+Great punchlines and lyrics
+Pretty good beats, some fantastic ones
+Cool, relaxing vibe to the tape
-Underwhelming features
-Beats were a little samey
Best: Graceful Jewelry Removal, Burgundy Windbreaker, Special Jim
Worst: Blue Fin Tuna
Retch- Polo Sporting Goods
8.2/10
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