Mick Jenkins- The Water[s] MIXTAPE REVIEW

Today's review is on Mick Jenkins' new mixtape, The Water[s]. I have never heard of this Chicago MC before, but he has been getting a whole lot of hype from this new project of his. Any time an artist blows up off of one project, I feel like I have to check it out. Going into The Water[s] a complete newcomer, how did I like the album?

The production on this mixtape lived up to its name. This project had a very aquatic, watery vibe, and it seemed like the whole sound of the project was centered around this water theme. The beats here flowed together extremely well, and it was definitely a great listening experience. The production was layered and interesting,  with almost every beat having that watery sound. The first song, Shipwrecked, blew my mind with its production. This song starts out beautiful, with some very soft, minimalistic percussion making up most of the beat. The song eventually goes into a very relaxing bridge before it breaks into a much stronger, more energetic trap sounding beat to end the song. It was absolutely fantastic. This song, though, was one of the only tracks where the production really stood out. All these beats are great, but they all just sound like each other. There were only a few songs where I would say the instrumental was very different from the rest of the project. The song Martyrs had a cool female singing sample, and the song Jazz was probably the most unique and experimental beat here. The last song, Jerome, produced by Kirk Knight, had some more boom-bap, New York sounding production, so that definitely stood out.  Black Sheep, which was produced by Statik Selektah, was a bit disappointing for such a consistently good producer. Overall though, I loved the vibe of this project. Even if a lot of the beats sounded the same, they were all pretty good and there were enough standouts for me to enjoy The Water[s] instrumentally.

Mick Jenkins was undoubtedly the star of this project. The beats were excellent, but all they really did was serve as a background for Mick to do his thing. You can add this guy to the list of creative new hip hop artists from Chicago, along with Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. First and foremost Mick Jenkins is a very charismatic MC. You can tell this guy has a whole lot of passion on the mic just from his voice. Mick is great from a technical standpoint as well, with a very solid flow and awesome delivery. I wasn't really bored by Mick Jenkins on this whole project. I liked how Mick had different lyrical ideas on a lot of the songs here. He is definitely big on content. The first standout track for me was the opener, Shipwrecked. This song showed how well Mick can ride beats, as he handled the sudden beat change on this song perfectly. Once the beat shifted into something more loud and dynamic, Mick was spitting faster and rapped with a lot more energy. The second song, THC, was very good too. It was really melodic, and the song had an infectious bounce going throughout its short duration. The song Comfortable showed Mick's pretty solid singing ability. He sang this hook effortlessly and it sounded great, not to mention he killed the verses on this track too. Noname Gypsy, the rap feature on that song, had a good verse too, and I enjoyed how she flowed over the beat. Honestly, there were standout songs all over this project. I really liked Jazz, Black Sheep, Canada Dry, Dehydration, and Martyrs. Martyrs was an especially great song for me. That track was fantastic, as Mick just had such a commanding flow throughout it. You had to listen to what he had to say. His deep voice just boomed through the beat had stood out. I loved it. My favorite song on this whole mixtape, though, was the last song, Jerome. This was a huge change from the rest of the album. This track had ridiculous amounts of energy and enthusiasm. Mick was literally yelling the hook here, but it sounded awesome. His verses were great as always, too. Joey Bada$$ came in for a guest verse and absolutely killed it with his raspy, nasty delivery. I loved this mixtape, simply because of how many standout tracks there were. Mick just knows how to craft awesomely infectious tracks. I think this guy has a great future, and he put together a pretty impressive project.

THE WATER[S] WRAP UP
+Mick blew me away as an MC, he has so much charisma
+He has a pretty creative rapping style
+Mick Jenkins proved to be versatile, even being a pretty good singer
+Unique water theme, even the beats had an aquatic vibe
-Samey production

Best: Shipwrecked, Martyrs, Jerome

Worst: Who Else

Mick Jenkins- The Water[s]
8.4/10

Lil Bibby- Free Crack 2 MIXTAPE REVIEW

 

 Today, I'm reviewing Free Crack 2, the new mixtape from Chicago rapper Lil Bibby. Lil Bibby is another MC who falls into the category of "drill music", a hot new style of hip hop from Chicago. This style has really been hit-or-miss for me. There are some drill artists that I really enjoy, like Chief Keef and Lil Herb, but also some that don't do it for me at all, like Lil Durk. Unfortunately, I'd say Lil Bibby falls into the latter category. The guy is just mediocre for me, and his 2013 project Free Crack didn't impress me that much. Will Bibby step up his game with this new mixtape, Free Crack 2?

With the beats on this mixtape, I was thoroughly impressed. This production was very different from other drill projects I've heard, including Bibby's previous mixtape. A lot of the beats here didn't go for the dark, grimy vibe, instead sounding classier and happier. This gave the mixtape a distinct vibe, one that was incredibly new for this type of music. On the first track, Can I Have Your Attention, I could tell that the tempo was definitely a lot slower and happier. This was also evident on Game Over, Can I Get, What You Live For, and Tomorrow. These beats were all great, with some even making use of some soul samples. Tomorrow, the last song, was just a perfect closer, as it featured a fantastic vocal sample going over the beat. The song was so relaxing, but Lil Bibby still gave it that street vibe. I think these beats, despite their calm nature, fit perfectly with Bibby.  There was still some production on this tape that had that dark feeling, such as For the Low pt. 2 and Boy. The song Dead or In Prison, though, just sounded violent, and it might be my favorite beat on the whole project. It was an absolute banger. Overall I really enjoyed the vibe this mixtape brought to the table, and I think it was a step up from past drill projects.

Lil Bibby didn't show himself to be a great MC on Free Crack, and I can't say he improved that much on this sequel. There are things I like about this guy, and he is still very young, but he just isn't a very complete MC. The worst part of this project is its lyricism. Bibby really just sticks with cliches and the normal street imagery you get from guys like Lil Durk and Chief Keef. He also lacks a bit in flow, as he tries to change it up, but he never sounds extremely comfortable on a beat. The area where this project is a huge improvement over Free Crack, though, is its energy and hooks. I felt Bibby improved his delivery a lot, and he sounds a lot more interested and energetic. The guy has a grimy, gravely voice, and I felt he used it well on this project, especially on hooks. For a big chunk of these tracks, the best part is the hook. The hook on Dead or In Prison was awesome, and he just sounds so passionate. I could definitely say the same about For the Low pt. 2, Boy, and What You Live For. All those hooks brought tons of energy and griminess. Even the hooks that didn't go for this vibe, though, worked well for Bibby. The rather monotone singing voice Bibby brings on Can I Get sounds great, and is very catchy. On We Are Strong, a female vocal sample makes the hook, and that was awesome as well. This project's strongest asset is its hooks, and they make up for Bibby's lackluster verses. Some of the guest verses on this project made up for those too, though. I was shocked by Wiz Khalifa on For the Low Pt. 2, as that verse was far better than anything on Blacc Hollywood and Wiz had an impressive flow. The other standout feature was Kevin Gates on We Are Strong. I haven't really heard much of this guy's music at all, but he had a monstrous flow and delivery on that track. He really killed his verse. Besides those two, though, the features here weren't all that great. Juicy J was mediocre on his two verses, and I was just disappointed by T.I. and Lil Herb, a couple of MC's who I thought could have put in a lot better verses on their tracks.

FREE CRACK 2 WRAP UP
+Awesome, catchy, energetic hooks
+Bibby has an awesome, grimy voice that matches well with the beats
+Solid production, different sound for drill music
-Lil Bibby just isn't a very good MC yet
-Was disappointed by some features

 Best: Dead Or in Prison, We Are Strong, Tomorrow

Worst: I Be On It

Lil Bibby- Free Crack 2
7.4/10