That Soundcloud Update
It's alright. Sort of a difficult interface to understand at first but definitely an upgrade in my eyes. I was surfing through Soundcloud with a homie and found some interesting work.
#Minimum Wage
Charisma Con and ZanK the Cyclops have released a collaborative project titled #MinimumWage. I wanted to personally ask them some questions before I released my review but I got anxious from not writing for so long.
Break down this project Tico,
Content
ZanK says it about himself, and I'm going to say it too. You put some young rappers together and you get the same thing usually. The misogynistic lyrics, the drug references, the partying and repeat. The biggest example of these themes are on the song NastyRatchet, which spells it out how these two view certain women. The hook is catchy sure, just don't bump this around the sensitives types. To be fair, a more positive twist is taken on how Con and ZanK view women in the song Nose Candy. The lyrics are hype and, in my opinion, praise girls who can hang, be 'one of the guys', but still maintain her sex appeal to their counterparts.
From some of the promotion surrounding the project coupled with the Intro- it appears that there is a latent theme of antiestablishment. This is hard to delineate from pure anarchy though because the mixtape is submerged in so much gritty verses. I want to say that these two young emcees are socially aware but this project was clearly not their way of sending out a building a better future message. #MinimumWage is more of conglomeration of anthems for young men enjoying their selfish youth.
Flow
The overall flow of the mixtape reminds me of The Vestibule or Living Out Loud, by OCD: Moosh and Twist. This is sort of a comical comparison being that both these duos at face value look like each other and take up similar roles in their respective groups.
You have ZanK who has an appreciation for alliteration, rhyming, and overall sounds of words. His sound is solid and sure. There is nothing more annoying than listening to a young artist and hearing their age immediately. Not so here, he utilizes word play, puns, the whole nine. I appreciate ZanK on every song; his vocal range and overall flow is versatile and can mesh with most beats. Interestingly enough- him and Twist sound similar.
Next you have Con who can hold his own, no problem. This dude goes bar for bar- hard. No waste of words, no waste of breath, no waste of beat. There is never a hesitation on his part and this leads me, the listener, to believe he writes extensively. Con's voice sounds authentic and gritty, you can bump any of #MinimumWage in an urban setting and it'll fit other projects in its genre. Simply put- if Con and ZanK were mixed in a playlist with say, Isaiah Rashad, Bronson, Talib Kweli, and Wiz, you wouldn't really question it.
Production
I have mixed feelings on the production value of #MinimumWage.
What do you mean 'mixed feelings'?
There are some extreme positives and extreme negatives. I'll start with negatives so I can end on a good note.
For starters, the entire project does not sound like it was mastered together. The audio levels are all different. A rookie listener could spot how amateur the mastering seems to be. Even worse, on some tracks the vocals don't lay on the beat smoothly at all. Master Billy Quizboy sounds unfinished and underdeveloped. Most of my production qualms lie in post editing which technically is a good thing. These songs can be remastered, remixed, or even nixed to improve the quality of the project.
One big production positive: the diversity in producers and the recognition given. As of recent, I use that term loosely, there have been more light shone on producers in music especially hip-hop and rap. The role of a producer is major in a project as they can have a hand in anything from writing to beats, to overall sound, to direction. I am impressed- most impressed. The track Clever, prod. by Quantum Musik has this authentic A Tribe Called Quest texture on it. This sound is not easily emulated or translated- most people believe the days of textured hip hop are over and thanks to these producers, it doesn't have to be.
All in all..
This project is 3 out of 5 stars. Its the first mixtape from these two artists who are young and have the tools, space, and time to grow. This start is extremely strong on their ends as rappers and I would want to hear more from them. I would chalk this mixtape up as a learning experience, but a good listen of a learning experience. Starting this strong though, I hope to see stronger playability of songs, diversity of content, and that same consistent flow from both dudes.
