Young (ft. Napolean Pro$pect) - Whoa. It's like I immediately just stepped into the sounds of 808's and Heartbreak. People haven't done the autotune/distortion thing since D.O.A. Wow. The beat gets you hype. I feel there's not much as a message from the song besides the KND feeling of complaining about growing up. I like how this track feels. I don't fully understand the Johnny Cash reference.
"I ain't never gonna be young again"
3.2/5
Gray - The beat sounds like it was made by someone at the OFWGKTA, but more nicely simplistic (If that's a way to put it.) The song is a bit boring for me to listen to.
2/5
About That Action (ft. Miley Woo) - This beat is tight! I really fucks with this one a lot. Miles starts it off with a nice verse about high school (something a lot of us can relate to at this point in our lives haha). Miley has grown since the last time I posted him on this blog. "This highschool shit is for the socially gifted." Prospect just makes this shit hype and I respect that. The vocals are all panned a little to the left, and that irks me a bit. I like how the beat switches up when Prospect goes in. "Your girl sending me snapchats that she couldn't send to her story." He's way more braggadocious than I would expect from the last 2 songs, so I'm getting that Drake vibe again where niggas seem somewhat sensitive, but switches up to hard guy flow. It's dynamic and mad unexpected at first, but it works.
"I was tryna be positive, but that's positively boring"
4.6/5
Born (ft. Jahkobi) - I blame Kanye West for tracks like this. I like it, but it just comes off with that Hip-Hop-grunge type sound. At times the distortion is so heavy, you can't hear what is being said. That's why I compare it to grunge. The part at the end where Jahkobi sings at the end is possibly the best use of Autotune I've heard in a while. It fits.
2.4/5
Mad Crisis! (ft. Happy Child) - The beginning of this song almost reminds me of a song you would hear in a movie that's takes place in some barren dessert with a terrorist camp. Like the beginning of Iron Man or something. The beat is so hard. You can hear the mad crisis in that alone. There is no rapping at all in this track and it kills me a bit
3.6/5
Lie To Me - A sample of some grunge-rock song (or is that Future? lol). That's exactly what I'm feeling. The beat innovative at the core. I personally almost want more variation in it, but I like how simple it is. Also after the past two songs, I'm glad to hear more of Tommy rapping. The "Lie To Me" chorus buildup at the end is beautiful. This is one of those songs where I don't fully have words to describe it, but I like it.
"Lie to me. I need to hear it."
4.2/5
Real Crack - This joint right here makes me want to stomp. It makes me want to start a riot. It makes me want to let demons out of my soul to attack you. That's about it. The production of this is ridiculous.
3/5
Good Intentions - I heard this song before the mixtape dropped and this is probably my favorite song on this mixtape. Also, one of my favorite Tommy Prospect songs in general. This may be the most reflective song of the tape. It's about how a boy means to do good, but in change to do good, he fails and messes things up around him. Change turned him into a dick. Being a dick makes you lose yoru friends. It's all a chain reaction really. I like this song. Maybe because I think I could relate honestly. I think a lot of people can. The beat is just ridiculously beautiful and ends on a nice note.
4.7/5
Pink Lemonade (ft. R.a.D.) [Prod. by Tommy Prospect, Waxbill & Carl Christ, Ceptthots] - Oh snap. Start this joint, and you hear him referencing the last track. Wishing he never made it, but I love that shit. Don't say that, Tommy! R.a.D.'s verse is cool. The second verse really confuses me. It sorta killed the vibe I had with the song. That Pink Lemonade must be good as shit to make a 7 minute song about it. Or maybe it's a metaphor for vaginas or something. Where's RapGenius when you need it?
2.5/5
X - Another song that I listened to before the mixtape came out. This is actually my favorite song on the tape. I feel more soul in this than anything else. Tommy Prospect crooning over his own distorted voice is just very calming. I can't decide if he's more reminiscent of a country artist or How To Dress Well. The random Jamaican scream and other vocal scream samples. It just creates an atmosphere of itself. You don't even realizing the mixtape is ending. You don't want it to end. It's like being in a cloud. Who knows where "X" is or what spot it's marking, but I would guess that it's heaven. That's what this sounds like.
5/5
I have very mixed feelings about this mixtape. It's evident that Tommy Prospect (the rapper formerly known as TGK) is continuously improving, as a rapper, producer, and singer. He and the groop of friends (Miley Woo, Jahkobi, R.a.d.) that I consistently hear on his tracks are keeping up with him too. An artist's Progress is my favorite part of listening to music. From the moment I listened to the first track, "Young," I knew it was setting the scene for some experimental tape. Tommy really tested with how weird he could go and how introspective could go while still making good, creative music. It really all is creative. These beats are all GOOD. They're innovative. If he expanded on some of these beats alone, I could imagine where they could go. The whole album is like Tommy stepping into 808's & Heartbreak while bumping Yeezus and holding Kid Cudi's hand at the same time. I love it. Much of the lyrical content is somewhat self-oppressive at times. I start to think of the Sadboyz movement. The autotune is overused, but it's used in a creative way. I like it, but it goes out of tune sometimes which I just find a little funny. Sometimes, I sorta think Prospect did that on purpose. Overall, Prospect made a solid and experimental tape. He definitely broke some creative boundaries on a hip hop sense. If I could give this a genre, like I previously stated, this would be Hip Hop Grunge. I like it, but I also want to hear more of Tommy Prospect rapping.
70.4% C- Nerd Approved
This review was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and now I'm off to by college memorbilia because that's where I'm going next year and I don't want to be the only guy without a shirt to rep when I'm Shmacked shows up.
All production done by Tommy Prospect except for "Pink Lemonade." Full list of credits
