Best Underrated HipHop Mixtapes of 2011
I know I been slacking with reviews but thought I really should do an end of the year review. So this is for the 5 best Mixtapes I've heard this year. But I'm only doing artists I think are underrated in Hip hop. So no artists like Fablolous, Lupe Fiasco, Lloyd Banks, etc... It would be way to hard to decide a top 5 with them in it lol.
Big K.R.I.T.- Returnof4eva (5/5)
At the beginning of the year I had the number 1 spot saved for XV's Zeroes Heroes, but being the fair young man I am, I had to give it to the artist I truly thought deserved it. In this Mixtape, Big K.R.I.T. talks about life for him and others in the south while giving listeners the southern vibe on smooth productions and is accompanied by cool and calming RnB vocals on some songs. Krit has a unique style. Unlike most rappers today he does not use much punchlines. I believe that's what makes him even more interesting. He's this good, and he's not a punchline rapper. (This is coming from a guy who ADORES punchline and metaphorical rappers like Kendrick Lamar, XV, Earl Sweatshirt, etc...). In most of his raps he talks about Southern life and gives it a different look than the normal stereotypes about it. Country Remix is a prime example and also the hit single off the tape. Krit teams up with Southern legends Ludacris and Bun B for a track that kind of shows the more realistic "fun" side to the south. Then he has tracks like Time Machine, where he talks about his car being special to him and how it would remind him his younger days. Lyrically, K.R.I.T. reminds me of a young T.I.P.(ironic huh?). Of course T.I. showed us the tough and wild side of the South. Krit on the other hand gives us this calm and humble side. Songs like Player's Ballad and Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Racism really showcase Krit's consciousness. The RnB vocals that he is accompanied by meld well with the song. Not too overbearing but just enough. While production on all songs are amazing. Songs that stood out the most to me were:
XV is one of my favorite artists. Before him, I really could not think of a rapper that might be able to get as creative as Andre 3000 especially when teamed up with producer, Seven. This album sounded like a sequel to (IMO) second best work, Everybody's Nobody. In this mixtape, XV raps about being a force in the rap game, his origins in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, and rising from a nobody to an icon in his hometown while remaining humble. XV's persona is that of someone not afraid to rap about everything, on anything, using whatever he can. Foreign Exchange Student Vizzy raps about his dream girl, which he describes as the type to play video games(and is good at it), pretty, nice, fresh af, and just cool in general. (basically a shout out to all the girls that are like that). The features and production are amazing too. He's not afraid to take his talent on any beat. He rapped on a beat that sampled Kingdom Hearts in When We're Done. He goes off over rock and pop like instrumentals as well. Very well done production. And I loved every sample. Now lyrically I think this was the best XV mixtape. In songs like Smallville he raps about coming up in a little town no one really knows about and Pictures on my Wall depicts the life of a boy living with his mom and abusive stepfather and his only source of inspiration and happiness was looking athe pictures of those he viewed as his heroes on the wall. Textbook Stuff(feat Kendrick Lamar) the best track on the tape(imo). The song is about two individuals influenced by crime and violence but somehow take different paths in life. XV trying to become a rapper while K.Dot is sentenced to life in prison. The best 3 tracks:
Textbook Stuff (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
The Last Hero (Feat. Patrick Stump)
This such a good type. I think he may one of the few artists that are worthy enough to resurrect a legend's beat, let alone the entire album, and murder it over again. My nigga Elzhi did his thing. Not only did he spit some hot stuff, he gives listeners and aspiring artists a little advice on the track Pete Rock Shout. I believe yall know the production was dope especially if you heard the original Illmatic by NaS. Elzhi basically one of those cocky humble rappers. Throughout the mixtape he boasts about his skill like most rappers but also talks from such a real point of view. On the track One Love El talks about the a young woman who had bad taste in men until he got into a relationship with her, when he admits to loving her. The only negative I could thing of was if not paying attention to his lyrics tracks can get boring easily. An example for me is Memory Lane, I was uninterested in this track at first because of it's slowness. I had to start paying attention to the lyricism to really get into it. His lyricism really makes up for it making it an overall delight to listen to. Most people would rush straight to tracks like One Love and The World is Yours but it's really a tape you should take your time to listen to and appreciate each bar. Best Tracks:
Life's a Bitch (Feat. Royce the 5'9")
Emilio Rojas- Life Without Shame (3.7/5)
Emilio did his thing on this track. It's more of a personal mixtape. Talking about personal issues and situations and turning negatives to positives. In All Mixed Up he rapped about being half white half spanish kid but turns it into an positive saying he got "best of both worlds." He spits about his cultural origins and what he endured as a kid with the teasing and shame people tried to make him feel. One of his more fun tracks, Ex Girl (feat. Mickey Facts) is about the obsessive ex girlfriend he views as crazy, especially since she was the one to ruin the relationship. But it don't matter because he's already moving on. And Turn It Up(Feat. Yealwolf) was him spitting about doing his thing no matter what others say. The best part about this track is his changing flows and Yelawolf is on the track too. so you know his verse got wild. The production was cool too, had a calm feeling through out the entire tape, like hip hop mixed with a hint of reggae/reggaeton(I'm really not sure about the reggaeton). Even though a good amount of tracks were really good, a lot were just OK. Best Tracks:
D-Pryde- Mars Mixtape (3.5/5)
I am extremely proud of this guy. I been a Pryde listener since 10th grade. I was a little sceptical at first but as time kept going on he got better. This tape is also personal. He raps about being the Asian kid rapping that wasn't accepted at first. Tracks like Did It On My Own, talk about how...well he "Did it on his own". Raps about people not feeling him because he was the Asian trying to be black. But in the end he shocked them all now he's signed. My favorite track, Highway, is about moving on. Going through tough times and being able to stand tall afterwards. I also loved the hook, he did a good job with singing too. Mr. Big Shot(Feat. August Rigo) was a track he teamed up with friend/producer and singer August Rigo. He raps about being ready for the future especially now that he's living life like a "big shot." The production was alright. Nothing to boast about but he should still be proud. A downside is the repetitiveness. I think he said the same thing in about 3 tracks. I like the different ways he said it though, so listeners that dont pay much attention wouldn't notice and just chill a track. The most impressive thing is there were not much features, most tracks were all him.
No Sleep (Feat. Joe Budden)
Honorable mention: some mixtapes I think got edged out by the competition but deserve a mention:
Los- The Crown Ain't Safe
Gilbere Forte- Eyes of Veritas
CyHi the Prince- Royal Flush 2
Have a Happy New Years and another year of Good Music ^_^
