Production: 3.8/5.0
Overall Score: 3.3/5.0
Review by MrReesh - Send me messages and discover the power of friendship via Twitter- @MrReesh
And it's
off. The mixtape launches as Chip(munk) declares that he is a trendsetter against a
haunting and ominous instrumental, moving on to compare himself to British born hip hop
legend Slick Rick – audacity. He then emphatically dons the cap of a pizza boy and
proclaims to the world he “gets dough”, alongside up and coming MMG member Meek Mill. And after those first four tracks how do you feel? Well, you feel kinda like this:
Yes despite
the dramatic looking cover and metric tons of hype Chip(munk)'s latest mixtape
is alright. If you were hoping for a
return to his old style in the mixtape misleadingly titled "London
Boy" prepare to be disappointed. With flows that feel predictable
sometimes to the point of irritation, Chip(munk) ultimately ends up sounding
more like an American rapper with an English accent, which wouldn’t be so bad
if it was you know, better. It's listenable though, and thanks to a whole ark
full of features including Meek Mill, Skepta and Professor Green, worth a try.
Lyrically despite
a few odd choices Chip(munk) manages to stay at an allowable quality,
displaying some excellent wordplay in Dumb,
where he clearly outshines a lazy verse by BoB. However 96% of the lyrics on
the tape are doused in braggadocio and dripping with bittersweet bravado,
lacking the force of delivery to make them particularly memorable. This is
especially apparent thanks to a number of the features, where Chip(munk) is
inarguably outshone. For example in It's
Alright, the lust laden coitus track featuring Sevyn it becomes quickly
apparent that you only enjoy the song because of Sevyn’s atmospheric melodies and
the instrumental which harmoniously backs her. His lyrics feel like template
rap, as though you’ve heard it all before and there’s no effort put in deviating
from that template. Despite this track 5, Beautiful,
ends up being one of the best songs on the mixtape and easily the best solo
Chip(munk) song as he speaks at a much more personal level with a flow that
feels comfortable and not recycled.
 |
| Skepta goes in, so here's a picture of him looking cool and stuff |
Speaking of
features some are far better than others. Hustle Gang general T.I. does okay,
but Wretch 32? I don’t know if he got hit by six horse tranquilisers before he
got on the mic but jheeze his two features were droll as hell. It surprised me
due to the overall high quality of Black & White as well as his recent stuff
and should be seen as an anomaly. Probably the best features come from Skepta
in the form of My Crew, Meek Mill’s
rapid and just plain fun delivery in Pizza
Boy, and Professor Green also does well in assumed anthem track Londoner. Sevyn and Delilah perform
superbly in regards to singing, as does Jeremih who delivers a smooth chorus in
R.N.F..
And I’ll
ignore Blade Brown’s comment about how he wishes “all these bloggers would say this hate to my face.” - I’m above it
innit. Pendejo.
 |
| THE POISON OF ALL ART FORMS But let's not get too deep |
Ultimately
though the mixtape feels like more of a statement than a mixtape. Chip(munk)’s had
enough of people criticising him for whatever reasons and is making it clear
that regardless of that criticism, he’s doing well and will continue to do so.
This assertive declaration lacks the impact to convince given the overall
quality of the mixtape, but is apparent nonetheless. It makes me want to see
what the next album holds because if this is really a statement, what’s he
going to do when it’s time to make music for music’s sake? Though admittedly the
concept of ‘making music for music’s sake’ rather than for money’s sake today’s
is a relatively hopeful one at best, and leaves me ultimately sceptical.
And on the
topic of his name, I’ll continue to put (munk) at the end because the guy made
TWO songs about his name, I Am Chipmunk
and Who Are You? – are these songs
invalid now??? Nah until he makes a song called My Alias Has Been Forthwith Altered And Now May I Accost You To ReferTo Me By The Single Syllable Mononym,“Chip”. But until then I must
regrettably sign off this review with a recommendation to download only if
you’ve finished your to-do list for the day, and have pretty much nothing else
to do.
You can listen to and download the mixtape via the DatPiff player here:
My Top 3:
1) Beautiful
2) Pizza Boy
3) It's Alright
2) Pizza Boy
3) It's Alright
Photo Credits:
The pennies "BT ArtBox - Money Box" by Dave Catchpole
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