Mixtape Review: "You're Welcome" by YC The Cynic

1. State I.D.
Funky beat. Standout delivery that leaves every punch-line and metaphors clearly heard. “Arbees but on beat” interesting flip of a played concept. Nice rhyme scheme. “Matador D”, what? Dope content. Clear voice and pronunciation. Vocal production is well done.

2. Kick Back
Early 90s sounding beat. Delivery really boosts the lyrics. Solid flow. Nice vocabulary. “I’m the bomb, detonate” ok, but based off of a played concept. “Taken back” sick! Content was alright.

3. Return of the Slick
“Doe ray/ dough rise” dope. Slick multi-syllables. Rhyme scheme, again, is on point. “Bet some rappers won’t wanna rap after this”, “In the building like government planes” stood out.

4. The Honor Society
1st MC – Nice vocabulary. Pronunciation is off at parts. “Bars/payday” played. Tight switch in delivery at the end.
2nd – “lemon face” ok. Flow is solid. Not much here.
YC – “Regents” ok. “Ya’ll squeamish” nice.
J Monopoly – “Best maine”, haha! Obscure reference though. Tight delivery. “Steering him wrong” too obvious. Funny adlibs.

5. In The City
Warren Britt – Starts off with intense energy and delivery. Nice content and flow.
Chorus is catchy. YC starts off with semi-abstract lines that don’t hit really hit the mark. “Still worm?” “Metal instead of leather/wheels turn” – this doesn’t make sense to me, wheels aren’t made of leather. Verse was lacking lyrical coherence.
Monop – “From Queens come kings” nice. Haha funny adlibs, “ante up”. Flow was solid, but some clear room for improvement.

6. The Disclaimer
“Prolly got herpes anyway.. .slore” HAHA!!!

7. Chris Brown’s Latest Hit
“You just gave me herpes” haha! “If I ain’t got a rug” ok. Dope concept, very entertaining. Chorus is simple but funny. The singing is hilarious. Abstract lines. Seemed to go off topic on that last verse.

8. WHY CEE LA
Nice wordplay. “Follow suit” ok. “Pass the light like astronauts” doesn’t make sense. Rhyme scheme and delivery is, again, ridiculous! “Mozart” dope.

9. The Blogspot
Nice beat, I’m feelin this. Expansive vocabulary. No standout lines, just a blog advertisement.

10. The Bad Seed
Beat is wild. “Pardoned from an archship”? Pronunciation wasn’t as good in this track. 2nd MC – “Purse” haha. “Killing time” ok.
3rd – Nice flow. “Tennis scout” corny.

11. Lost
1st – “Kick it hard” played/simple. Was off-topic first half of verse.
YC – Some cool verbal play. Some abstract lines. Topic cohesion ambiguous.
Hipnotic – Flow is nice. Solid rhyme scheme. Short verse.

12. Where’s Lauren (Take It Easy Rmx)
Diggin’ this beat. “Dancin’ for change” ouch! “Knows Johnny McCain”nice. Dope vocab and content. Rhyme scheme bulging!

13. Say Superman
“In these shoes”, “In three moves” dope. Steady stream of tight one-liners. Chorus is catchy and intelligent. “X-games Cynic”, “Definite” tight. [Note: For more on this song, peep my review of “Fighting For Futures Worldwide” by Various Artists. (Feb.)]

14. Be Aware (Kings of New York)
Chorus is ok. “Hung with rope” alright. Vocal production not great, loud breaths in particular stood unedited. Abstract lines. I can definitely appreciate a Christopher Walken sound clip.


Strengths
+ Delivery is poignant, emphatic, and clear. The number one standout weapon in YC’s arsenal.
+ The beats, while similar in style, fit YC’s archetype perfectly.
+ Some dope lines here and there.
+ Extensive vocabulary.
+ Solid guest MCs.

Weaknesses
- While delivery was A+, it did not change much at all. YC has a very clear-cut and consistent formula that does not surprise you.
- A lot of abstract lines.
- Majority of topics weren’t very unique.


Compatibility/Appeal Rating:
Underground: 60%
Mainstream: 40%


Favorite Song: Return of the Slick


Face Value: 8.3/10


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CONTACT INFO
http://twitter.com/ycthecynic