Don Trunk - Not A Beatmaker [Beat Tape Review]

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Oh hey there, my nerds and dorks and freaks and geeks. I know you're thinking "Don't you 'hey there' me, you little, insignificant, cancerous bane to my ribosomes. Where the fuck you been, bitch? Stop slacking!" Or maybe that's just Jay Verze. Cut me some slack here, guys. Applying to college is tough. I've never done this shit before lol. On top of that, my internet's been off for the past month, so I've like written stuff, but I haven't been able to actually post it. This, being one of those posts, is completely copied and pasted. lol. Work with me. I'm going to try to post more than once a month.

So let me start again.

Hey there, my nerds and dorks and freaks and geeks (and Baltimore niggas)! You might know me by one of my monikers, such as "The Real Carlton Banks," "Bill Nye's 2nd cousin," or "the kid who divided by 0 and got away with it," but in actuality, my real fake name is Waverly Spades. Around the time school started, I went to the Book Festival in Mount Vernon and stumbled upon the only rap performance I've ever seen at one of these things. The guy's name was Don Trunk and he was up there killing. This dude had an amazing live band and was doing everything an indie artist should be doing. He was throwing out sunglasses with his fucking face on them. That's real branding. lol where they do that at?  The last joint he performed was a cover of Jay-Z's "Encore." Everything was on point, especially in that band. I didn't think he sounded so lyrically amazing or anything, but he said some fun stuff and was just a great performer. Like, this dude made the Book Festival exciting. Where they do that at? Me, being the introverted and jealous person I am, I whipped out my phone and checked his social media stats immediately. (Don't judge me.) He had a nice following, he's also a producer, and was dropping a beat tape called Not A Beatmaker. I will not lie, that shit sounded mad cliche, but something about this guy really intrigued me. So I've kept an eye on him and I've been waiting for this. The beat tape seems to be his way of establishing his title of producer and making some money. Can't knock the hustle. I've never reviewed a beat tape here, but there's a first time for everything. You guys know that I'm critical of everything. I usually want to spend portions of reviews on songs on people's beats and their beat choice, so this should be fun. Get the song out the way and just the beat. Ok lemme stop talking now. Let's do this.

Not A Beatmaker - Hahah ok. This is a nice little intro. This joint isn't a beat (like I'd expect). It's a rap song. So, you show that you're not a beat maker... by rapping? What? It's ok. The song is okay. The beat to it is definitely the best part so far. I like how he puts that vocoder on his voice for the chorus. As a rapper, dude is mad cocky and that slightly annoys me, but I'm not gonna get critical of his rapping because it's a beat tape.
2.9/5

Oh Baltimore (ft. Nina Simone) - This beat is mad smooth. I LOVE the chorus. "Stuck up in this crab pot." That's the perfect way to describe Baltimore. I don't know if he was trying to go for a Dubstep type thing with the wobbles and vocal samples, but whatever it is. I love it. One thing that annoys me is that I was expecting it to vary at some point, but it's the same verse hook verse hook form.  The hook is great.
"Stop complaining about how hard it is just to live."
4.5/5

Microphone - That hook.. Tracks about rappers' microphones also seem cliche. The tags in this joint are ridiculous. Like I understand one tag every verse or something, but this one has the tag every 4 bars when he's not singing hook. The beat is great for the most part. That synth arpeggio is crazy. Like, this is the perfect example of a decent beat being ruined by the use of tags.
3/5

The Greatest (King of Rock) - "Us coloreds are gonna fuck it up!" Hahah. That's probably the best part of this whole thing. The tags are ridiculously annoying here. The beat is ridiculously simple. Just a very soft 808, that kick snare thing, and simple guitar riff that I'm not sure if Don played himself or sampled from something else. The chorus is cool, but I'm somewhat tired of hearing  Don sing at this point and the transition between the chorus and the beat just isn't cutting it for me. Let the beat speak for itself, nawmsaying? This whole thing sorta generalizes that old Elvis/Rock shit and literally fucks it up. I feel like so much more could've been done with this creatively.
1/5

Different From Everyone - Here we go with that cliche shit. I swear to you, this joint is gonna get stolen and be top 10 on Soundclick (if this hasn't happened already)! (I'm gonna stop complaining about the tags.) One thing I will say is that the mix somewhat annoys me. I can't tell exactly what it is about it, but something feels out of place or overlapping in the wrong place. I like that filter/compressor thing on the chorus. I have mixed feelings about this beat. Overall, it's pretty hard. A lot of those typical rappers would snatch this shit up quick.
3.3/5

Hands High - "Everything I'm not made me everything I am." OK KANYE LOL. I'm assuming the samples are sidechained to the one clap. That is annoying. Sometimes, it puts a nice taste, but it feels weird here. This beat is very simple. The chorus is a bit extra until that "Hands high, up high, to the sky" part. One thing that is annoying about this beat is the 808. What some producers don't realize is how important it is to pitch everything together.. That 808 is so offkey and it's driving me crazy. That filtered/slowed down outro at the end is cool.
3.5/5

EBT (ft. JamRock The Maven) - This is the best shit I've heard on here so far. JamRock's piece chorus is beyond on point. The live drums are such a nice touch. The actually beat part is a bit boring, and when JamRock's background vocals come in on the verse, they sound too loud. The "EBT/Everybody thriftin'" gets screamed all over the place. This is another one of those beats that has soooooooooo much potential. JamRock's hook is all so blissful, but besides that, it's basic. I could hear some voice rapping on this though, someone old though.. I can't tell who, but I hear them. Fun fact: A maven is a connoisseur. What is JamRock a connoisseur of? hmmm.
3.6/5

Black Neighborhood (ft. 2Pac) - The reverb on the flugelhorn sounds off beat, but it provides such a nice delay effect. The chorus is really inspiring, but blatantly stereotypical and racist. The only reason I'm stressing over that is because he doesn't even sound like a black guy on this joint, just an artsy kid. Somewhat like Childish Gambino. Have Jay Rock do that hook and it'd be gully lol. Again, I don't know how I feel. This is the first beat I've listened to on the tape that doesn't bore me. I truly bump this joint.
4.7/5

College Chick - The beat starts on some epic tip. I love it. Actually, I love this instrumental period. The hook makes me a bit angry though. lol. I'm pretty sure, somewhere previously said in a hook, Don Talks about being a starving artist. Where do you have this Juicy J type money to be paying bitches' college tuition? Other than that, this joint is hot. The best part to me is when almost everything drops out except the voice and short, very deep synth. I love it. The hook is actually cool on the low. This beat has everything, variation, dope elements, and some more. Props for this one.
4.9/5

Backstage Passes - Can we stop no. i'm not reviewing this i don't want to be considered a hater
ok yes i am that's what i do
That hook is just no. like just stop. The background vocals need to stop. That "Oh yeah" shit is played out. It sounds like he was trying to be a mix of early Backstreet Boys and Mr. Hudson/Kanye. Everything is simple.. idk where to go with this.... why does this even have the tag? Niggas ain't stealing this one.
note: after listening to it a 2nd time "all the pretty girls want them backstage passes" sounds really good in a funny kind of way. Not saying it's good, but... It's got a different feel... by the 2nd hook, I hate it again.
1.2/5 1.5/5

DA HYPE 2014 (ft. Karissa LaRen & Flava Flav) - This is beautiful. Everything is great. Like even Flava Flav feels placed correctly in this shit. I feel like Don could've sidechained the kick to something and that would've been really cool, but that's just me. I'm not going to take points off for that. The mix is on point, which I'm proud of. I like the hook a little. Karissa LaRen has a beautiful voice. This beat is Kanye/mainstream perfect mixed with a unique style. I like this.
4.92/5

I Can't Wait - ugh. Did this nigga really just made a song about sexual temptations. I feel like Don's voice is just too childish for that shit. Like, the hook would be good if someone else were singing, but it's not him. Nawm saying? lol. Just not him. idk. The beat is smooth as fuck though, I will not lie. If he got someone else to sing that hook, this joint would be perfect.
4.1/5

just a little note. I started this review over a month ago (11/5/13 to be exact) and I stopped on this track. wow. Why do I put everything off so much? lol. ok back to the review

Chasin U (ft. Mr. Rite Now) - Those upbeat synths. The catchy hook. The RNB-style, 808ish kicks. This beat gets some props, but the hook is extra after a while. After the chorus, it has it's own bridge, and that just extends it too much. I feel like that whole "excuse me miss" part could be reserved specifically for the last hook. Also, there are some aspects of the mix that I just don't like. The kick is just buried under everything mid and high ranges. It doesn't stand out enough (like most kicks should). The beat is killer though. I can see dudes actually buying this one.
3/5

Feelin For U - I don't feel like looking back to check, but this feels like a song that should just be Don's own song. He should use this beat and hook, and make a nice little original song. The beat is nice and chill with a nice mix of a sampled break beat, synths, and strings. I fucks with all. The chorus isn't too extraneous either. My complaint on this one is how short it is.
4.6/5

Are U High - Another one where I'm not completely down with the mixing. I also don't like that MIDI piano sound. In that repeated fashion, it doesn't even sound real. Of course, all musical instruments don't have to sound real, it's just... i don't like it. I don't know how to explain.
2.7/5

My Flaws - Again, this should be one of Don's songs! He shouldn't be trying to sell this one. Him on the hook, background, and that little intro poem is great. Of course the piano chords reminiscent to a lot of other songs of this caliber, but it doesn't take away from this piece here. I could hear Don on this so much. It's making me angry that he didn't keep this one for himself. lol. Also, the piano feels not EQ'd at all and the drum break just sounds like the high end is EQ'd soooo much. I still like the beat though. I was hoping there'd be some really crazy break or outro.
3/5

Radio - This may be my favorite beat on the tape. I like almost everything about it. It even has a nice little variation throughout the verses. The hook is perfect. This is also one of the most versatile beats on the tape. I could hear a lot of people on this beat, but I could also hear him rapping on it if he wanted to. If anyone buys this, they should put Don on for a verse.
4.8/5

Bedroom - I have a friend who's been making beats for a while and this is what his first beats sounded like. It's smooth I guess, but so so so so so so so so simple. Also, I can't stand the provocative chorus because Don Trunk sounds like a kid trying to sing Usher. lol. I'm sorry, but this one makes me laugh a bit. "bEAT it UPP. bEAt it uPP."
1.7/5

Love Someone Again - This has so much potential. It would be a great pop song for an indie movie soundtrack, but the wannabe dubstep feel sort of kills that for me.
2.2/5

Real Men (ft. JamRock The Maven & Martin Luther King, Jr.) - Ok this gets much love for the live flugelhorns (i saw them on his Instagram somewhere)! JamRock has such a beautiful voice. This track was perfect for her. I can't hear Don on this, but I could hear a lot of other dudes on it. This deserves a top notch rapper.
4.7/5 

Back Home - I like the narrative of this one. It's got an RnB feel. The chorus is great, but I feel like the first half should just be an intro. I like the reggae/grimy feel to it. Much love for the Shawshank Redemption vocal samples. This one's a work of art.
4/5

Rent Due (ft. Neek Dorsey) -This is chill. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't paying attention after I heard the first verse, but another one with a nice narrative and great vocals on the chorus.
4.6/5

Father Help Me - Oh wow. We've come to the end of a very long beat-tape. I like this one though! It's nice for a tape-ending. The reggae/chill feel.The hook is beautiful. If there wasn't a tag every 4 bars, this would be so nice.
3.9/5

Look at that! I've made it to the end of the tape. I went into a lot of details for some of the beats, so I really don't have too much to say here that I haven't, but I still have a few points to bring up. The first thing I'll say is that the amount of tags is RIDICULOUS. I know you want to protect your beats and keep rappers from using them without buying them, but at the cost of practically ruining the beat? In my opinion, it would've been better to just only use snippets for the tape with a tag in the beginning, middle, and end, but the tags are so frequent that it's arduous to get used to as you listen to the tape. If he copyrighted everything, the threat of a lawsuit should be enough. Also, the mixing wasn't as top notch as I expected it to be. I was listening to this on some high quality studio headphones (not some fucking Beats) and my studio monitors. Even as I switched listening sources, the overall mix felt small and underdone. There are times that I don't hear the kick as much as I feel I should and sometimes the vocals/live instruments overpower everything. In that manner, everything doesn't seem put together or from the same sources. Another thing that I hate is that Don sings a hook on practically EVERY instrumental. Each one is like another Soundclick banger. This slightly disappointed me because I just wanted to talk about the beat, but time and time again, I'm talking about the hook too. There were a  few times when the beat could speak for itself, but his hooks give it a definite feel and leave no room for an artist to work with just the instrumental and his or her own creativity. Also, Don's voice sounds mid-pubescent, so it's hard to hear him sing hooks about sex and drugs without laughing a bit. Other times, it felt like it would've been better for other people to sing the hook. His use of other singers and live instruments does add depth to the music he's making (sometimes). Many of the beats tend to be repetitive with little to minimal variation.  The beat tape does a great job of what a beat tape does: showcasing his beats, but it's slightly ironic. It's called "Not A Beatmaker," but Trunk is definitely what I'd classify as a "beat maker." Every beat maker wants to be glorified to the fact that people see them as a "producer," but in this day and age, there's hardly a difference, but when I think of the actual differences, Don is still a beat maker. There's nothing wrong with that. I just see this beat tape as a bunch of beats that he didn't feel he wanted to use for himself strung together for the public. In my opinion, for a beat tape, a "producer" would've not only made the beats and brought in instrumentalists and vocalists (like Don Trunk has already done), but also brought in artists that he or she thought would fit that beat. Said producer that wrote those songs and made those beats would market it as an album. That's just my opinion though. All that said, there are still some great joints in here (that all have the potential to be even greating.) For the really good beats, I was angered that Don Trunk didn't keep them for himself. He better have shit that's 20x hotter on his debut album as a recording artist if he's throwing away stuff like "Radio." Well, that's all I have to say for now. Don Trunk is an artist with talent and potential who should think a tad bit more creatively of things (and let good ears listen to his mixes before he finalizes them). Good job overall. I'll still keep my eye out for future projects and turnt up Book Festival performances.
70.5%

This review was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and now I'm off to relax for the rest of this snow day.

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