Tek.Lun - The Crusade [EP Review]

What's up, fam? It's ya boy: the muzical Don Jon Escobar aka the real Carlton Banks aka Bill Nye's 2nd cousin and ya boy is BACK for the long haul this time around. If you don't know me, my real fake name is Waverly Spades. Today, we have this project from Baltimore producer/DJ, Tek.Lun. I first heard of Tek.Lun's production on GoldLink's Hip Hop Interlude. Very short song, but I loved that beat (one of my faves on the tape) and I really wanted to listen more into the dude. I also just wish that beat was longer. This past week, Tek.Lun dropped The Crusade EP, which is 30 minutes of a very House/trap sound with some Bmore Club influence. It sounds very different from a lot of things coming from this scene. Every pad is so lush, but every distorted 808 kick is so clean, fat, and thick. It's very together, and diverse in the way that the album goes from Chicago House (Consequences) to a chill, trap feel (Broken 2), from some alien Dilla + Outkast shit (Plum w. Drew) to some funky, upbeat shit (PRAISE DE GANJA!). It's a great summer release because I can feel like I can take this shit and ride through the hood (in like spring or fall) and still feel like it's 82 degrees Fahrenheit outside. The title track (The Crusade) literally feels like a Crusade through the hood. Return of the Mack shit. amirite? So much of this is sample heavy and late 80's/90's reminiscent. Overall, I fucks with this EP heavily. There may be an LP version of this later on, so I'm kinda hype for that too.
4.7 Contemplations out of 5
This review was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and now I'm off to watch SNL Donald Trump's presidential campaign announcement.
@TekdotLun - Soundcloud - Buy The Crusade EP for $1 @WaverlySpades

Nerds (Still) Like Rap Too?

Hey, fam.
When I come to this blog, I feel really guilty. When I think of about when I started it some 3 years ago, it feels as if it's been so long. A lot has happened in these past 3 years. Not regarding this blog, but in life in general. I was a junior in high school when I started the blog. I just finished my first year of college (on the deans list too ayye). A lot of my favorite indie dudes don't rap that much and/or aren't as consistent (but I've come to notice a few starting to get back into the swing of things). Some dudes are really gaining traction (if you don't follow Tae Miles fka WiseGuy., you should start). Soundcloud has grown to crazy heights compared to where it was three years ago, but by trying to go the YouTube route (thus trying to fuck over a lot of indie artists), but labels don't fuck with it so much, so they've really fucked themselves. GoldLink James has re-emerged as GoldLink. He and Shy Glizzy, putting on for the DMV heavy (two different styles of people in DMV of course), have made it to the XXL Freshman cover (proof that DMV is almost at the point of being recognized). King Los just dropped an amazing album, is at the top of the charts, and even got the best 5 Fingers of Death Freestyle on Sway In The Morning. While I've moved out of the city for the greater part of the year (I go to school at UMBC), I've been continuously stumbling into more and more music from our area. It only gets better. There's a reason why the Rolling Stone says Baltimore has the best indie music scene. I have my license now. There's a free album on iTunes right now. Kendrick Lamar dropped another project. Tek.Lun and Hi$to have become two of the dopest producers in the area (crazy because at one point in time, I didn't think producers like that would come out of this area). FL Studio has gone from like 9 to 12. Jay Verze (the first artist I wrote about here) has shared a stage with Cam'Ron. Lor Scoota and Young Moose have been become staples in Baltimore street music. Bossman became Travis Davon. The new generation of Baltimore club artists like Mighty Mark and Abdu Ali have changed and rearranged everything (and it sounds amazing). Freddy Gray was killed hardly a few miles from me. So much has happened. So much progress from everyone. I've learned a lot.
So, I come back to this blog again, and feel guilty. Why? Because throughout it all, I always have these fleeting thoughts and stuff I want to say, but never say. There's a lot of stuff that I'll say under my real name, but I try to keep it PC there. When I want to get gritty and just express raw thoughts and feelings (can't do that under my real name---niggas don't have feelings), I just sit around and think them up. I think I should write. I think I should make a song about it. I end up not though. I don't think I've gotten lazy. I think for a long time, my brain thought more than I could handle. I have more things in my mind that I have to do than I really have to do. I want to do so many things that I don't know what to do. Looking back, I've felt too creative for my own good. I feel stigmatized by my own thoughts and my lack thereof voice. I guess I've been letting myself almost eat myself from the inside for the past few years and I've been blaming school work, and when the summer came, I'd blame actual work. I don't know words to describe it, but I don't want to keep getting into this.
A lot of energy has been revitalized within the past few months. Been sticking to a lot of resolutions and this was one of them. I'm starting this blog again, and I want to thank all of you guys whoever read. I'm looking at the stats and this blog somehow had over 13k views with my little more than 50 posts. that's dope.

#WaverlyWednesdays #comethru #everywednesday #bwoy

follow me on twitter @WaverlySpades

blog updates
1. please don't send me shitty music. I used to get pretty overwhelmed looking at the submissions and trying to write stuff because I would actually try to review EVERYTHING. I thought that would help everybody. You get a blog post (even though it's a shitty rating). I get a little bit better at writing. You also get constructive criticism. Didn't really work out that way tho. Nobody shares a post when I trash the music. And no one's looking for reviews of an indie that no one knows and I'm here publicly bashing/criticizing thier shit. The post is essentially a waste of space and time on this blog. On top of that, there's only so much shitty music I can handle. I ended up not really writing about all of it. I have like 30 drafts of bad songs/mixtapes that I was gonna critique, but just couldn't bring myself to finish, so yea. Go ahead and send me anything, but it may or may not get posted depending if I deem it of quality or not. That being said, you can email me and just ask for my opinion and not a blog post and I will oblige. I may even reply to the emails turned down telling you why I don't like the songs, but at the end of the day, it's your music/art. My opinion doesn't matter. Just as idgaf if you fuck with this blog or not. With all of that stuff, I will try to post as many dope things that I come across here.

2. the title is Nerds Like RAP Too, but it's going to be a LOT more than rap/hip hop and it's culture. As I've diversified as I've grown up, I want to diversify this content. You are allowed to submit literally anything that seems cool. Films, dances, fashion (not the best critique of fashion, but I admire it), contemporary art, whatever, fam. I'll look through all of it. My one promise to you.

A Few More Thoughts on the Iggy Azalea vs Azealia Banks case

I don't use this blog as much as I originally intended (I created it for more than just to review stuff I listen to). Sorry about that, but here's something I wanted to talk about for a quick minute. If you skip to around 7:30, they start talking about Iggy Azalea.
Azealia Banks really went off here. She talked about how T.I. is a shoe-shining coon and how his girl, Tiny can't read. She talks about the "coincidental" ill-timing of the hyping up of Bill Cosby's sexual assault allegations how it takes the lack of indictment of Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo away from the public's attention. She talked about the message that the Grammy's truly give. They're supposed to be "accolades for musical exellence," but as she states, Iggy Azalea is not excellence. In her words, "When they put these Grammy's out, all it says to these white kids is 'Oh yeah, you're great. You're amazing. You can do whatever you put your mind to' and it says to black kids 'You don't have shit. You don't own shit--not even the shit you created for yourself.'" For the most part, I can completely agree with Azealia. She's right. The industry's racist and Iggy is, at the very least, subconsciously racist whether or not she wants to realize that fact.
However, around the 11 minute mark, Azealia Banks states that Iggy should be put in the pop category in rebuttal to the host of the show explaining how businesses capitalize heavily off of how people will buy and support things that they see themselves in (i.e. white people and Iggy Azalea). Banks said that Azalea should not be grouped with hip hop or rap, in general. She should be grouped with pop. She should be grouped with Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry. Now I do see where Banks is coming from, but when she says this, she herself comes off as racist and hypocritical.
I've been listening to Iggy and Azealia for a long time and for a while, I would consider Iggy rap before pop and Azealia as pop before rap, but they both molded the genres. As of late with Azealia's Broke With Expensive Taste and Iggy's The New Classic, it's hilarious how the tables have turned within the past two years. I'd consider Azealia more rap than pop and Iggy, more pop than rap, but needless to say, they both cross into both. Iggy's music (as Wikipedia describes it) jumps more into the EDM-pop style, while Banks' crosses into the dance-hall and dance-pop. Musically, they both do it, but Banks doesn't want to be grouped with pop music or Iggy Azealea in general. Banks wants Azalea grouped into pop with other white artists, implying that pop music itself is something mainly by white people.
Now what does this make Rye Rye or Usher after he found Justin Bieber? What was Michael Jackson the king of?  Is Drake the only one allowed to do pop and rap because he's half black and half white? Now do we no longer allowed to consider white people rappers? Was Eminem just death metal the whole time? Are Aesop Rock and George Watsky no longer innovative contributors to rap music? Those two don't even make genre-typical pop music.
While I agree with most of Banks' points, what she said is just hypocritical because she herself has made pop music. It's lie she's preaching the right message, but it's coming out the wrong way and from the wrong person. It's the equivalent of Ray Jasper speaking out against the unlawfulness of death row. I don't want to sound as if I'm on Iggy's side in any way, I just want to keep it fair. Where I'm from, people don't bang with Iggy because of the blatant racism of her existence in hip hop (and her weak music). People somewhat fucks with Azealia, but not many people know of her beyond 212. This becomes a feud against Iggy Azalea and the white-washing of hip hop and cultural appropriation of black culture that just needs a different face and approach.

Tommy Prospect - MAPS [Mixtape Review]

What's up nerds, freaks, and geeks? Long time, no interaction! (I guess you can blame that on me. My bad!) Some of you may know me as the musical Don Juan Escobar aka the real Carlton Banks aka Bill Nye's 2nd cousin aka the original black nerd aka  the kid who divided by 0 and got away with it, but if you don't know me at all, my actual pseudonym is Waverly Spades. Today's review consists of Tommy Prospect's latest project, "MAPS." I first heard of this a few months ago when he posted the single "Good Intentions" on his Soundcloud. Let me tell you that I REALLY liked that song. I had that same feeling I had when Drake dropped Club Paradise before Take Care. I just knew the shit was gonna be good, but it was ironic because I didn't really like any of Drake's music previous to that. That's how I'm feeling about this. I like Tommy Prospect, but I always had the feeling he could do better and that track has lead me to believe that he has good intentions (see what I did there) for his album. I believe it'll do even better than my previous reviews of him, but there's only one way to find out! So, let us begin!

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. I'm reviewing the Tommy mixtape next week. hehe maybe my wish will come true.
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

Download "MAPS

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Bobby Woody - Roland (Telegraph Ave Remix)

Hey Trekkies, and Nerds! I'm feeling bad because I realized that I didn't put on my signature introduction. I've really been out of it, so I'm going to revamp it for this one. Ayo, it's me: Bill Nye's 2nd cousin aka the ORIGINAL black nerd aka the REAL Carlton Banks aka the Blacker Hacker aka Big Ghost's Prodigy aka the 3rd realest nigga in the game aka Game of Spades, but you may just know me by fake name on the streets: Waverly Spades. Today I have with me, a friend of mine, Bobby Woody's latest track. I haven't put him on here since his "Rollin In Da Deep." (hahah been a while, dude.) While Bobby is a great rapper, I've always felt that he was producer first, and this one is his latest beat. (This is an instrumental remix of Telegraph Ave from Childish Gambino's new album "Because The Internet.") His rapping is fast paced, all over the place, and confident in his insecurities and his beats are a reflection of that. When it starts, you have no idea where it's going to go, but then, you hear that "Chicks Love Bobby Woody." It's a lot of the little things that make this track. The piano lines are easily a standout. That weird percussive synth thing that plays around with the hats. This dude even sings for a bit (or at least I think that's him. I didn't hear that part in the orignal. lol.) Overall, this is a great track. I was listening to the original nonstop before I heard this. Good ass job.

5 Nerd Contemplations out of 5
Nerd Approved

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Chox-Mak Ft. DJ YRS Jerzy - Final Destination (Prod. By DR.G)

As soon as the beat started, I knew this was going to be dope. Dr. G painted a soundscape that is heavenly and omniscient. It's like conscious, gospel rap music lol.   I don't know which one is Chox-Mak and the which is DJ YRS Jerzey, but each verse is amazing. At times, it gets humbly braggadocious with lines like "My brother told me 'you could rub elbows with Kendrick.'" I wouldn't compare these guys to Kendrick just yet, but this song is good. A bit typical wannabe conscious/not thug rapper for me, but good nonetheless. The hook is one of those hooks made just because you need a hook. I don't pay much attention to it lol. Whoever that is on the 2nd verse, that's my favorite verse.

"I married this rap shit. Gotta get her out the kitchen." 
3.7/5 Nerd Contemplations out of 5

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This joint was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and now I'm off to finish this last college application for UArts. Pray that I get into somewhere.

JproD - Trill Shit, I Really Mean That

Hey there, nerds! I must apologize for the leave of absence. I told myself to calm down until I finish applying to colleges. I only have one college to apply to left (UArts), so I think I'm doing good and I can start blogging again. I'm also really motivated right now because you guys are sending me great stuff and I feel like people actually like this, so I'm going to do my best to post at least once a week! I mean it, this time! Make sure you guys tweet me to keep me to it, okay? haha.


I'm trying to go through a lot of stuff from my inbox in order, so here's something from like 2 months ago (lol). JproD sent this and another track to my inbox. The first track was weak. I just wasn't feeling it from the first 7 seconds of listening. This one, I thought would be better. The beat is trill and nice.  That's about the best part of this. The song itself is corny. JproD's lyrics are basic in my honest opinion. "1 for the money. 2 for the show. 3 for her to get ready to drop it low." This nigga said some shit about flipping chicken wings in the first bar. That's disrespectful to the producer (whom he didn't even credit)! I swear almost every line in this song, I've heard a variation of it somewhere else and the ones that weren't were the corny as fuck lines. Sorry these long nights of college applications have made me a very cold person. Welp. Shout out to this guy for at least staying on beat.

1.2 Nerd Contemplations out of 5

This track was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and I'm off to write another review while I'm still feeling sassy.

Go check out JproD at http://www.jprodintheregal.com/
Follow me on Twitter @WaverlySpades

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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Chrissy Vasquez - Nightmares [VIDEO]

What's up nerds and trekkies? It's Bill Nye's 2nd cousin, but you may know me as Waverly Spades. Today, I have Chrissy Vasquez' new video for her new song "Nightmares." Last week, I posted her mixtape because I loved it. I posted this because idk why. I like the song a lot, but this video is.... I don't know how to express my feelings here. I love to see Chrissy in a bathtub and being artsy and shit, it's just... Idk. The video has so much potential. I love the scenes and everything. It seems like a dark Lana Del Rey video, but what irks me soooooooo fucking much is the quality. It seems like the video was shot with a potato and edited in Windows Movie Maker (which can be pulled off SOMETIMES). I'm not knocking it at all, I just reccomend some higher quality for the next video. Props to her for directing her own video.
2.5 Contemplations out of 5
Mas o meno

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This review was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and now I'm off to finish reading the Scarlet Letter, even though Nathaniel Hawthorne is pretty irrelevant in my life. (Honors English is not worth this struggle.)

Same Old Story - Nicholas Miles

Hey nerds and geologists. It's me the real Carlton Banks, but you probably know me as Waverly Spades. Today, I got this joint sent in by Nicholas Miles. He's another artist from Baltimore. It's called Same Old Story. It opens up with some soulful, sampled, dope shit. It's a nice little story about some burgular, I think. Next, it transitions into this weird, Neo-Dilla type beat and I just love it. Who produced that? It's like a part 2 to the first section. At one point he says "put you in a box, got you locked, duct tape in a basement." This sounds like the murder at Da Vinci's down in Mt. Vernon where two employess were robbed, locked in the basement, and burned to death in a fire started by a robber. Baltimore's crazy. Both of these parts feel like short snippets and it really makes you want a full song, especially for the 2nd part. Overall, this song is dope. Check it out.
4.6 Nerd Contemplations out of 5
Nerd Approved

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Chrissy Vasquez - Pro$per Proficient [Mixtape Review]

Oh hi there, nerds and freaks and geeks. You probably know me as Bill Nye's 2nd cousin or the real Carlton Banks, but for those of you who don't know me at all, my pseudonym is Waverly Spades. Lately, I've been on summer break because nerds need breaks too. I got a job, went to camp, watched a lot of cartoons and catfish. It's been real. Free my nigga, summer. Now, back to the review. Over this summer, I've been hearing about this girl who goes by "Chrissy Vasquez." She's been randomly showing up on my timeline through retweets and people posting her stuff. I click on her profile and there's this little cartoon twiticon and link to her mixtape. I'm strangely attracted because like, lightskin bitches and pokeballs... it doesn't get better than that! But seriously, there aren't many female singers/artists in Baltimore who take their craft seriously, so the album artwork alone sparked my curiosity. Let's see  how this sounds.

(Interlude) For The Boys - Ever since Drake did Bria's Interlude and Ronny did Liya's Interlude, everyone thinks that an interlude is just a track you do to commemorate to someone else, but that's not really the case! It's the track usually done between tracks. I'm not going to be too much of a stickler on this stuff though. Musically, this introlude throws you off because unlike most modern pieces of music, there's background music. This is purely instrumental. That is so foreign and interesting to me. Chrissy has an amazingly warm, alto voice. The title of the track is "For The Boys," but it sounds like it's for someone specific. She seems very sex-craving, but intimate in a way that's just cute. I'm impressed.

4.7/5

Senseless - Everything about this song is so jazzy. I really feel like this is a young Billie Holiday. drug addiction and all. lol. Much like the last song, this sounds like a little letter. It's again, cute.

3.9

Sensual Money - This is a very abrupt change in pace. This short and sweet track is about a girl named Molly (an ironic reference to the drug that Trinidad Jame$ made famous, I'm presuming). "They don't call her Molly for nothing. You'll see if you just slip her something." She's the stereotypical "party girl." She's got a drug addiction to cocaine, heroine, and mollies I presume. Like most good girls gone bad, she didn't want it to happen. There are some great double entendres like "Molly shot herself down." This happens to be the most hard hitting song on the tape for me. I really like it

4.9/5

Smeared Lipstick (Prod. by Ricky Broadway) - Engineering-wise, it immediately annoys me how loud the vocals are compared to the beat at times, but at other times, it feels like a nice artistic touch. Ricky Broadway made the perfectly, eerie beat for this girl. This song is back and directed to two boys. It's an interesting ending to an EP that seems almost too short.

"He made me numb. He made me cum."

3/5

Well, for the first time in Nerd History, I'm almost at a lost of words for this body of work I just listened. to. -almost.- Where do I start? Due to the intimate nature of these songs, I can't tell if she's making herself a sex object or everything is truly personal. The first song is called "For The BOYS," but she definitely seems to be only talking to one person. Even if it is a bit seemingly out there, everything still seems classy. She almost reminds me of the Weeknd, in a sense, she can say whatever the fuck she wants, and people won't hate it. They'll always love it because of the voice and vibe of the song, but don't think I'm knocking the authenticity of this girl. I sorta want to compare her to Billie Holiday, but I feel her voice isn't grown enough for this. I could immediately hear this girl doing a song with Lorine Chia or Kilo Kish.  This is a really ill, little EP. It's not too short, but it leaves you wanting more. Chrissy did this one right. I'm rooting for her.

82.5% - B

Nerd Approved

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Top Rookie - Down The Rookie [Mixtape Review]

Oh hey there, nerds and trekkies. It's me, Bill Nye's 2nd cousin aka your atypical blogger aka a man with not so many names, but you most likely know me as Waverly Spades, the nigga that never actually posts shit. Today, I come to you with Top Rookie's latest release, Down By The River. Top Rookie is a three-piece rap group out of Minnesota consisting of Miley Woo, Emceeven, and someone not so new to the blog: Tommy Prospect (formerly known as TGK). This is one of those things I've been saying I'd listen to and review for a while, so I'mma sit down and do it now! Since this is a group, I'm going to do something I've never done before and tell who had the best (or at least, my favorite) verse in the song.
Mind's Eye (My World) - That beat is nice and chill. Mr. Prospect went on some other shit with that flow. The whole track is just a chill start. Best verse: Prospect 3.4/5
Lost For Days - Miley's flow was craaazy. I love that hook. Prospect verse was a great followup. M7 came off strong, but she still had such a laidback sense in her voice. I don't know what I think, but I love it. Like, I didn't expect it would be as dope as it was. (I mean that in the best way possible.) Best Verse: M7 "If you don't believe in me, then you's an atheist" - Emceeven 4/5
Recordin & Roastin - WOO. I was tired of the typical form (Miley, then Tommy, then Emceeven). This beat is hard. Tommy is hard. I love that verse. At this point in the mixtape. I'm starting to notice that Miley sounds like he's trying to sound like Ab-Soul on the flow tip, but it's not fully his thing, nawm saying? It's not bad, just could be improved. M7 said "you should always watch your back in my streets," and I sorta laughed because these are little white children we are talking about. Best Verse: Tommy Prospect "I'm so hot, my flow cold. You burning up while you shiver" -Tommy Prospect 3.2/5
Triple Threat - AYYYE. Much love for the So What sample. Shoutout to Prospect for that "Got yo girl on my snapchat" line. Best Verse: None really stood out to me. 2/5
Rumble In The Jungle - This track vibes. Best Verse: Miley's 1st one. (yeah lol) 2.3/5
Abstract - This is honestly the best track I've heard so much. I blame the beat and the change in flows. Ayo. I know M7 did not just make a reference to Kim Kardashian's sextape. Best Verse: Miley "I'm just happy that I grew up with a pot to piss in" -Tommy Prospect 4/5
Demonstration (ft. Wavey Nico) - So this is supposed to be the club banger, huh? This track is so hypocritical. The chorus is "We are selling records at a record rate!" Do these guys not realize this is a free mixtape? lol. There are actually like a lot of funny lines in this track. "I play this for yo team and they Joseph Gordon- LOVE IT." haha that is gold. I don't like the mixing so much on this track. No shade, the Wavey Nico guy is hella basic. It's a very quick, Rick-Ross style verse. (It reminds me of Ross' verse in Monster.) That group hook sounded so dope! "You see reality, I see a dream." -Tommy Prospect Best Verse: tie between Prospect and M7 3.2/5 Let You Live - This beat is pretty trill. The first line to stand out to me was "We hitting up that party like you hittin up that Pornhub." Hey, Ruby, don't just diss PornHub! They've never done a nigga wrong! Everybody's flow was fucking ridiculous! Wait a minute, this is M7's 2nd porn reference, but who's counting. wut. Favorite verse: all three of these were actually the dopest verses I've heard on the tape so far (despite the line against pornhub). The each had their own unique feel. I liked them all so much ahha. 4/5 Interlude - Chill ass beat and M7 teaching some lessons. I doubt much more you could ask for. (not gonna rate this one because it didn't feel like a full song, nawm saying? moreso an interlude, which it is.) Drugs on Everest - Shoutout to Miley for that chorus because that shit is groovy as fuck. Best Verse: Tommy 4.3/5 The Passion - "Shoutout to them freshmen." WAIT. TOMMY! AREN'T YOU A FRESHMAN? C'MON SON. That beat feels like some OF type shit. Rap dope. Stay dope. Miley talks about so much sex in his verse that it's pointless and annoying. "High off that sweet life. Pot cookie" -Tommy Prospect Best Verse: M7 3.8/5 Toro - If you wrote out a trap beat on paper and gave it to an orchestra to play, this is what that beat would sound like. It's awkwardly, hard as masturbation with your mom downstairs. I got a bit sad when the beat dropped because I thought the song was already over and I like this joint! haha. Miley's verse is pretty funny. Everything's trill here. Best verse: Miley Woo 4.8/5 Big Things In The City (ft. Jahkobi Martin-Senna) - WHOOOOOOOOOO IS THAT SAYNGING?!? PAIOKDE;LAVJEO;AKLDPOEIK! Jahkobi gets much love for that hook! Those Top Rookie cats get much love for knowing this dope cat. Crazy verse. Gotta love the jazzy ass beats. I love the irony in Tommy's verse. He talks about having new chrome kicks, but he's taking the bus and spent his last penny already. That's an urban artist for you, haha. This is easily my favorite song on the mixtape. Best Verse: MILEY SINGING 4.89999999999999 Runaway - fuck I don't even know what to say about this one. Tommy made this beat, so they askin' fo a lease. Best Verse: Tommy Prospect 2.7/5 Uneducation - This beat gets much love. I'm assuming Thomas sang some shit, chopped it out, and played it. I really fucks with it. This is probably my favorite beat on the tape. This is the most inspirational track on the tape. I love this song a lot. Miley had my favorite verse this whole tape. It was very intellectual, but still kept that inspirational feel. I love the whole combined chorus thing. the beat is so orgasmic tho... those synths at the end!! Best Verse: Miley Woo (M7 is a close 2nd) "In the end, we all gon die, so why you keep debating?" -Miley Woo 4.9/5
So here we are again. Another review, another ending. I feel like I have a lot to say about this group, but then I'll probably write this and it won't make so much since, so let me dive into this. First of all, there are no production credits anywhere and that annoys me. I'm assuming everything is made by the group's Producer/MC combo, Tommy Prospect. I applaud them for having all originals. The mixtape starts pretty basic to me, but as it progresses, their songs progress. There is sometimes more maturity in themes and ideas that I like. A big problem I see throughout the tape (moreso in the beginning) is that they'd be just rapping and talking. Like, they'd be saying stuff, but it wouldn't have much substance and they'd put in a fast flow to make sound cool. A lot of rappers do that and think it sounds cool, but what's a dope flow if you're saying nothing? What would Kendrick Lamar be if he switched topics with Cheif Keef? nawm saying? There would also be some typical lines I heard throughout the tape that just annoyed me ("I eat all of these rappers like they are dinner" -Miley Woo, "I'm caged in these bars" -Tommy Prospect, "What I'm cooking up"). Overall, the tape showed such potential with a mix of soulful stuff to just hard, trap type beats. It's a weird project that was going in different directions at time, but it was cool, you know? 74% - C
This review was brought to you by Waverly Spades and now I'm off go school shopping. All the shit is like 1 cent at Walmart right now before they start advertising.
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EndOfTime (Feat. Marlo D.) [Prod. by Richard Desire]

  It's been a minute since I've gotten to check my inbox and an hour since I've found something in there that I absolutely like. Aus Taylor sent me one of his joints, "EndOfTime" back in April, but I'm bumping my head to it like it just came with Yeezus. I don't know the sample, but that beat is so triumphant. Richard Desire did his thing! This was Aus' first original track, and for a first, it's great. Marlo D on that last verse kills. They rap about the somewhat cryptic society we live in. Aus, Marlo, and Richard are all parts of a Baltimore creative collective called "The Creators." After this track, Aus already seems like such an established artist. I'm definitely looking forward to see more. "What's time, but some organized nonsense?" 4.5 Nerd Contemplations out of 5 Nerd Approved Follow @ImAusTaylor on Twitter Follow OGAus on Tumblr Follow me on Twitter @WaverlySpades This track was brought to you by Waverly Spades, and now I'm off to go cop Yeezus (on Spotify because a nigga broke).

Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap [Mixtape Review]

What's up my favorite trekkies and nerds? It's me, the real Carlton Banks aka Bill Nye's 2nd cousin, aka the original black nerd, and a bunch of other monikers. Today, I want to review Chance The Rapper's newest free album, Acid Rap. I've loved Chance for a few months and I've been excited for Acid Rap for a very long time. Even before the few amount of leaks, I knew I'd like it way before I even listened, so I didn't wait to blog it to listen. I know most of this mixtape by heart, but I want to give an in depth review as to why this mixtape is so amazing. If you don't know who Chance The Rapper is, he's one of the most talented out of the wave of Chicago rappers we've been seeing lately. His flow is unlike any other and his singer/rapper style is something completely new (No Drake, Kanye, Cudi, etc.).  Let's get my true thoughts of each song.

 

Good Ass Intro (ft. BJ The Chicago Kid, Lili K., Kiara Lanier, Peter Cottontale, Will for the O'my's & JP Floyd for Kids These Days) [Prod. Peter Cottontale, Cam for J.U.S.T.I.C.E League & Stefan Ponce] - Such a soulful, churchy start. This is just a nice little touch. Besides the great melody, the slightly off snares and kicks sound so new it's ridiculous. The line up of artists here is crazy. This is truly a small taste/foreshadowing of what to expect with this mixtape. "Better bet I'd take that deal. Gotta watch out for my mother." He goes from talking about his family, to his drug use, and his music in general. This track is crazy. The trumpets and that singing outro.. This is such a beautiful song. I hear the slight Kanye influence. At some points in the outro, you hear the autotune on "So Good." And the track was entitled "Good Ass Intro." Kanye West's album was going to be called "Good Ass Job." This track was a good ass job.

"Did I turn to drugs and do better than my Alma Mater"
7/5

Pusha Man (ft. Nate Fox & Lilli K.) [Prod. by Ceej for Two9] - This track is just cool as fuck. If I had a whip, I'd turn my windows down and blast this all throughout the white neighborhood I live in. It's so charismatic. "I'm the new Nitty. Fuck it. Nitty the old me!" Nate Fox on the hook almost sounds like Childish Gambino. Are we sure that's not Childish Gambino?
"She came to party. She popped a molly. Said 'Come to papa.' She said, 'Papa yes!'" Much better than Rick Ross' line in U.O.E.N.O. lol
"10 damn days and all I gotta show for it is shows and shows and chauffers with road rage."
4.7/5

Paranoia (Hidden Track) [Prod. by Nosaj Thing] - I know this technically is apart of the last track, but it's almost like the Buried Alive interlude. It's it's own creation that serves it's own purpose. Chance tweeted that if you listen to this while tripping on Acid, the space on between is enough to time to prepare for the sudden change. He goes from rapping about some baller stuff to rapping about the state of his city. "Somebody'll steal daddy's rollie and call it the neighborhood watch." This track is  probably my favorite. It's anger with a purpose and a direction.  "They probably scared of all the refugees. Looks like we had a fucking hurricane here." I feel this song is almost an unanswered call. No other songs on the album speak of Chicago's violence like this one. He even states that he's scared. He says that everyone in Chicago is scared. It's an amazing change of outlook that you didn't specifically expect from the young, party-crazy emcee. "I hear everybody dying in the summer. Pray to God for a little more spring." First time hearing about the violence of Chicago from someone who's not contributing. If you didn't feel for Chicago before. You should now.
"Down here it's easier to find a gun than a fucking parking spot."
8/5

Cocoa Butter Kisses (ft. Vic Mensa & Twista) [Prod. by Cam for J.U.S.T.I.C.E League & Peter Cottontale] - This here is one of my favorite songs on the tape. It's already got a nice, churchy, soulful feel when the organs start. Cam and Peter are geniuses for this one. There's a little bit of a battle between Chance and Vic and that is beautiful. Both had outstanding verses. Chance gets very nostalgiac and it's a bit heartbreaking. Vic goes from talking about how he smokes with his band, Kids These Days, all the way to talking about how he believes they are all addicted. A feature from Twista is crazy for an up and comer, and his verse is AMAAAAZING. He definitely had that stereotypical black family we all know and love. "This is just a testament to the ones that raised me, the ones that I praise and I'm thanking. I need em, but the chronic all up in my clothes and I wanna get a hug, and I can't cause I'm stanking. Never too old for a spanking." Besides all of the melodies and great verses, the genius to this song is that it speaks on an aspect of smoking that no other rapper has touched on before. Smoking always leaves a smell on the smoker and many other loved ones in that person's life who don't smoke may be completely repulsed by it. (If you don't smoke, you probably already think the smell is repugnant.) What Chance, Twista, and Vic show here is how smoking separated them from the people they love. I assume other rappers have never really talked about it because it's nothing to glorify. You can really feel the pain in the song. They sorta make me want to start smoking, so I can relate to this one. haha. Not really, but still a dope track.
"A generation above me, I know you still remember me. My afro looks just like daddy's. Y'all taught me how to go hunting!"
7/5

Juice [Prod. by Nate Fox] - When this joint first came out, it was fire, but as I listen to it more, it's not that great, honestly. I mean, it's a really good song, but this one definitely loses replay value. That beat is still smooth as shit and the chorus can get you hype if you're in that mood. That lackadasical flow never truly gets old. This song is probably way more cool live.
"Everybody wanna sip until the juice spill, then everybody wanna bib, and then everybody wanna dip."
3.2/5

Lost (ft. Noname Gypsy) [Prod. by Nate Fox] - I never realized how beautiful love was on drugs. So tripping on Acid is the ideal date, now? Some girl wanna try this? That is the basic idea to this joint and it's simply beautiful. This is my first time listening to Noname Gypsy and she has a beautiful voice. "The only time he's love me is when I'm naked in my dreams." It's a sad love story because for the guy, it's always just an attraction, and the drugs help a bit. There's not much more to the love, but for the girl, she sees herself as being objectified. Weird how that changed around from a playful love song to a wakeup call.
4/5

Everybody's Something (ft. Saba & BJ The Chicago Kid) [Prod. by DJ Ozone] - Is that a J. Dilla sample? Well I know J. Dilla probably sampled it from something else, but the first thing I think is J. Dilla haha. Throughout this whole song, there's a lot of Chance's offbeat, yet soothing flow. I believe the word to describe it is scintillating. The song has a great message and imagery, but as Anthony Fantano said, the variety of things said here only scratch the surface. Chance doesn't go deeper than a line or two about problems throughout this song. He talks about religion, racial identity problems, police brutality, patriotism, etc, and wraps each verse up with the fact that somebody loves everybody, but it's never anything that truly hits you. BJ The Chicago Kid's verse is great. (I've never heard of him. Is he in Save Money Army?) This song is chill, but it doesn't have much replay value for me.
"Why God's phone die everytime I call on Him? If his son had a Twitter, I wonder would I follow him."
3/5

Interlude (That's Love) [Prod. by Ludwig Gorranson] - This is one of my favorite songs on the tape. The organs that start everything are beautiful. I would quote the whole verse if I could. I like how positively Chano raps. He makes love sound so beautiful, much unlike rappers today who treat it as a thing for bitch-nigga RnB singers and sensitive ass females. Chance gives it true light and I sing this everywhere. Whoever knew an interlude could be so powerful? I don't know who Ludwig Gorransen is, but the beat is filled with such essence and I'm in love with it.
7/5

Favorite Song (ft. Childish Gambino) [Prod. by Nate Fox] - I know a lot of people love this, but not even gonna lie, this is my least favorite song on the tape. I sorta hate it. The beat is jumpy and happy, but it's so happy that it's almost cartoonish. When he sings the chorus, it just sounds so fucking corny honestly. The wordplay is crazy and Gambino has a great verse, but I still just don't like it. Blame the beat. (Sorry, Nate!)
2.6/5

NaNa (ft. Action Bronson) [Prod. by Brandun Deshay] - Chance made a rap out of one of his adlibs lol. I wonder when he'll make a song called "Igh." That's new. Brandun Deshay sampled Red Clay for this joint. It's so chill. This song is cool and I can bump if it comes on repeat, but it's not like this is the first Chance song I search for on my Zune or anything. Action Bronson's verse is hilarious and perfect. Not much to say here.
4/5

Smoke Again (ft. Ab-Soul) [Prod. by Blended Babies] - Anthony Fantono said this is like a trap beat without hi hats, but it's better. I don't know why. It just feels more major, more live. I need to stop watching/reading album reviews before I finish mine. This track isn't lyrically great or anything, but it bumps. It's random as fuck. "No Drake, but I get my Drake on." This joint is almost a Cocoa Butter Kisses part 2, except the struggle this time is that smokers always want to smoke. It interferes, but they're not complaining haha. Ab-Soul honestly had one of the weakest verses I've ever heard from him on this, but it's still okay. The "lemme put my mouth where you potty, boo" made me puke a bit. "She only got you as a nigga on the side. That's the nigga on the side of a side bitch, homey!" Not even gonna lie. That's one of my favorite lines on the album.
"Lean all on that square, that's a fuckin' rhombus!"
3.4/5

Acid Rain [Prod. by Jake One] - The mood completely changes here. That hype shit dissipates a bit. This is the most introspective song in the mixtape, and unlike Everybody's Something, this one cuts deep. It is big restatement of the recurring themes of the mixtape: His drug use, acid, his friend who died, his rapid popularity, nostalgia, his highschool life, his relationship with Vic Mensa, etc. At the end of it end, he sings and old R. Kelly tune. It's beautiful in a sense. Jake One made an AMAZING beat and the perfect one for Chance. This was a great first single and is an amazing song.
"The richest man rocks the snatchless neckless."
5/5

Chain Smoker [Prod. by Nate Fox] - Here's another one of my favorites. It's another song where it touches some deep aspects of Chance's persona, but because of the upbeatness, it all just slips aways and hardly scratches the surface. "Last Chance joint gotta be a dance joint from an introspective, drugged-out standpoint." It goes from all of that to a filler space where he talks about how "this part is his shit." The whole song is sorta hypocritical to itself, but it's bouncy, so it's still cool. "Lot of niggas wanna go out with a bang, but I ain't tryna go out at all... Got a lot of ideas still to throw out the door."
"You and I look just alike and I'm afraid that this one right here might be the last time I write a song."
4.6/5

Everything's Good (Good Ass Outro) [Prod. by Cam for J.U.S.T.I.C.E League] - The intro is so nice. It's a conversation with his father. That is so heartwarming. "I used to be worse than worthless. Now I'm  worth hooks and verses." The whole track is a nice reminder of how far Chance has come and even though he's still just starting, he is without a doubt at a comftorable point in life. For him, everything's good! The trumpets come in and all opinions are made. You have to love Chance at this point. I love how he reuses previous themes of the mixtape in that beautiful outro. This is a great way to end the track.
"I knew I was fly when I was just a catepillar"
6/5

This album was probably the perfect album. It was better and worse than expected, but the highs balanced with the lows. The high points of the mixtape were really high. The low points weren't too low, they just weren't my style. I think that's the best part of this whole mixtape. I might not have liked a few songs so much, but I know a lot of other people went crazy over those songs (such as NaNa or Favorite Song). There truly was something for everybody on this tape. (Well, everybody who likes rap, hip hop, R&B, soulful stuff, jazz, and Kanye West.) This was something that rap needed for a while. There have been game changers in the past few years, but nothing like this right. Some might find Chance's voice and adlibs annoying, but those are just specifically Chance to me. They make him stand out and I like it all. His flow is ridiculous. I honestly wish Chance had a few more songs like Paranoia or Acid Rain out. On most tracks, when he gets introspective, it only scratches the surface, but on something like Acid Rain or Paranoia where he gets introspective and aware of the world around him, it really makes you sad and makes you want to rethink things. That's the only problem with Chance. The beats determine how seriously you take his songs. They're still all great songs whether you understand what it means or not. His lyricism is damn near 2nd to none. This whole tape is versatility. This shit makes me want to go trip acid. haha. Well y'all take a listen. All nerds and nonnerds alike should love this one.
99% - A+

This review was brought to you by Waverly Spades and now I'm off to enjoy these wonderful 77 days of summer that are finally here. (I'm also realizing Phineas & Ferb lied to us.)