Today, I am reviewing Curren$y's new mixtape, The Drive in Theatre. Curren$y is a New Orleans rapper who has built up a pretty strong underground following, as he has put out a handful of albums and mixtapes. My favorite project of his is 2011's Covert Coup, which was fully produced by The Alchemist. I like Curren$y, and I've always thought that his slow, lazy flow works for him. It doesn't hurt that he always spits over some great instrumentals. How will Curren$y's new mixtape, The Drive in Theatre, go over with me?
To start off with the production, Drive in Theatre had pretty solid beats overall. Most of them will not blow you away, but they do a good job of setting the mood. The vibe of this mixtape is that is is very relaxed. Seriously, this is the most laid-back project I have heard this whole year. Whenever I just feel like kicking back and relaxing, this is the perfect music to throw on. A lot of the beats on this album are done by Thelonious Martin, a producer who I am really starting to like. He had some nice beats on Retch's new mixtape, but you really get to see his full arsenal on Drive In Theatre. My favorite beat is definitely M.P.R. This one starts with some cloudy, airy synths, which set the atmosphere of the track. Martin then mixes in some old-school electric guitars to create something very unique and creative. I loved it. Martin's other highlights on this tape come from the tracks E.T., Stolen, and High Top Whites. I chose those three just because I like how old-school they are, but also the fact that they have some sort of new-school twist. The closer to this tape, The Usual Suspects, also had an awesome instrumental. It was elegant, and just sounded very polished and clean. Overall, the production here was not incredible, but it did its job of setting a relaxed, smooth, chilled-out vibe. I definitely enjoyed it.
As for Curren$y's performance, he is very consistent, but almost to a fault. Don't get me wrong, I love the way this guy raps. He rides beats perfectly with his very lazy and relaxed flow, while delivering nice lyrics and solid punchlines as well. I also think this guy is unique, as he often utilizes his heavy Southern drawl while he spits. I felt that on this mixtape, though, Curren$y didn't bring something new to the table with the songs. He doesn't really change up his flow, and he always sounds the same. If not for the features and production, that probably would have ruined the album for me. Curren$y just didn't have much charisma on the mic. I can, however, give him props for helping set the relaxed mood of the mixtape. If you're gonna make laid-back music, this is the guy you want rapping. He did have some lyrical tracks on here, such as Vintage Vineyard, Hi Top Whites, and 10 G'S. All of these had a distinct topic, which I like. Features on this tape were excellent. Curren$y had three off my favorite rappers here, and they delivered. Action Bronson sounded great on Godfather Four, and Freddie Gibbs killed it on Grew Up In This, of course. Smoke DZA also had the best verse on the posse cut that ended the album, The Usual Suspects. While I knew those would be good, there was one feature that really shocked me, B-Real on E.T. At 43, the Cypress Hill rapper delivered an awesome verse. He used his wacky voice to his advantage and his flow was impressive. I loved how such an animated rapper was able to fit such a relaxed beat. Props to B-Real. Overall, Curren$y got a little boring by the end, but the features really picked up the slack.
THE DRIVE IN THEATRE WRAP UP
+Laid-back, relaxed, chill vibe to the whole thing
+Instrumentals were very good, set the mood of the tape
+Curren$y helped set the vibe too, his flow and lyrics were consistent
+Terrific feature verses
-Curren$y didn't change up anything with his rapping
Best: E.T, M.P.R, Grew Up In This
Worst: 10 G'S
Curren$y- The Drive In Theatre
8.0/10
No comments:
Post a Comment