Mixtape Review: "That Jawn Vol. 1" by BS

1. Entrance
Quirky yet charming intro. Beat is pretty hype. Vocal production not bad, but could be crisper. “Slick but oil-free”, hehe. Flow is stilted at times. Vocal levels a little low on parts, not completely even. “Backwards/dyslexic” was a good concept but could have been written better. “Swine flu/pigs”, decent. Refreshing delivery.

2. Go Kartin’ ft. Kamikaze Picnic
This beat is awesome. KP – Nice voice and interesting delivery that fits the zany, yet detailed, imagery. Vocal production is great and well-mixed for the beat. Unique chorus that is catchy with fitting delivery.
BS – Playful delivery that works well with the beat. “Byeuuum, straight through traffic”, cool line. Nice imagery. Flow too regimented and stiff. Tight use of vocal samples
KP – Lyrics are too abstract. BS & KP – Back and forth sequence sounded good but also was lyrically vague. BS – “What is real is just perspective”, truth. “Eat my ghost, BAM”, chuckle-worthy line although the line is very abstract. The bass riffs at the end were a great sound-off to the track.

3. Break Bad (Remix)
Well known Stoupe beat, I still digs it. “Like Malcolm’s dad” & “Pete Petrelli” are fairly obscure references. “I never see defeat because I stay on my chin up”? This is either a pronunciation or writing issue.

4. Broke With A Plan ft. Chaz Kangas
Choppy flow. “Shouts to my people living budgeted”. Doubles are off. Delivery is unique but microphone presence is weak. Funny and catchy chorus with good use of vocal effects. Dope content and concept. “La vida broka”, hehe.
Chaz – “Off the ladies”. “Withdraw from the first bank of sugar mama”. “Leave with your purse as a disconnection fee”, nice!

5. Hold On ft. Jesse Abraham & Premonition
Sick beat. JAbra – Sounds like a freestyle, very random lyrics. “Hopping turnstiles because of unfair fares”, word. Chorus is ok.
BS – Tight delivery. Flow up from the last couple of tracks.
Prem – Complex and involving rhyme scheme. Flow is precise. “Script the antacid”, decent but also type weak. With this much talent on one song, there should have been more standout lines.

6. Half-Done House ft. Kamikaze Picnic & Chaz Kangas
Funny and novel chorus that sets up the topic well. Lovely mixing and use of vocal samples. KP – energetic and charismatic delivery. Vocal mixing seemed off for this track. Chaz does a nice job on the chorus conveying his character. The beat works very well for the topic and make the song ear-catching. BS – “I came around half-mast”, haha. Flow and delivery is on-point. “Leaky like a pissin’ paraplegic”, lands flat.

7. Work
Very funny intro. Tight concept. Delivery is emphatic. Catchy chorus with a clever little twist on the last line. “Only excelling I see is spreadsheets”, ok. Simple lyrics, lacking poetic devices. Hilarious outro.

8. Shark Eyes
Tight beat, sax and guitar melody makes it happen. Delivery pops. “Sewer patra homicide”?? Are you trying to say “patricide”? Pronunciation a lil murky.

9. Shrink Wrapped ft. Kamikaze Picnic
Chorus is ok but flow is too simple. BS – Small dose of melody in delivery adds a lot. “New Era” line was obvious. Flow could have been a little tighter. “Red ring of death”, hehe. I like how the beat breaks down at the end of the verse. The addition of singing to the successive choruses add a lot. Very catchy. “If they can do it, so can you”...
KP – Lively delivery. Basic flow. “Near the shadows I am shrouded”, dug the delivery there.
KP & BS – BS’s flow is pretty vicious compared to the rest of the track. Again, KP’s flow was to simple and similar to how he flowed everywhere else on the song. Cool little acappella at the end.

10. Get Over Yourself (J Dilla Remix)
Vocal production is crisp. Straightforward lyrics that stay on topic. “The only shine you can see is on the outside”, deep line that works on more than one level. “Sense/cents” is an uber-common metaphor. “It’s not your fault you learned love in dollar amounts, but what will you do once your checks start to bounce”, wow… I can totally relate to that. Good delivery. Proper end to the last verse.

11. Sly ft. Jesse Abraham
OH WOW. KO sampled “the wheel of morality” from Animaniacs for the chorus. It’s hard to get sicker than that. Lighthearted and charismatic delivery.
JAbra – Vocal production could have been crisper, but good vocal effects. “Wild as a walrus”, line and delivery was hysterical. Good use of vocabulary.
BS – Vocal effects were iffy, some may like it but others might now.

12. The Vamps ft. Kamikaze Picnic, Homeboy Sandman, Final Outlaw, & Robo
KP – “Death is not my marker”, nice. “Fangs meant freedom when pushed from a kiss”. Chorus is alright.
HS – Tough delivery. “Then you’re fuel, then you’re food”. The fact that he has a song called “Fuel” makes that line pretty cool. Impeccable flow and rhyme scheme.
Final – Crisp voice and delivery. “Isn’t it shocking, twisted and haunting, how trivial it all is”. “Tackle you and drain you till you cramp”, nice.
BS – “Started with black market nose-plugs for garlic”, nice. “Don’t re-up, I revamp”, haha. Pronunciation muffles at parts.
Robo – Highlarious delivery!! “Power plant”, ok. “Look at my bicuspid, you’re about to get dusted”, haha. Flow is basic. “Hot topic shirts” line was nice, could have been delivery better though.

13. Z-Train ft. Albert Rhymestein & QV
Al – “The hue of doodoo brown”, haha. Tight rhyme scheme and great job staying on topic. “Like solar wind funnelin’ through a jungle”, wild and funny imagery.
QV – Comical chorus, good singing.
BS - “Woke up with a tentacle”, ok. “Bullshit 2.25”. “Bing bong”, hehe.
Hilarious last line by AR.

14. Junk Milk ft. Kamikaze Picnic
Very funny lyrics. “Dry it out, smoke the lumps”. Great structure. Beat fits the topic well. KP – “It’s drippin down my arms”, haha. “It keeps me warm like sunshine on your front line”, HAHA!! Diggin’ how this beat progresses.

15. Sugarthwacked
The beat is very uptempo and makes you want to move really, really fast. HAHAHA!!!: “I could go nuts off glazed donuts until my mouth starts to foam up”. “Wake me up with a fructose aroma”, hehe.

16. Fresh Veggiez ft. Steve Fox
BS – Doubles are a tad off. Flow is ok, a standard hip-hop flow though.
SF - Vocals are a little low. Pronunciation could be better. Chorus is ok.
BS & SF - “Don’t wanna die shittin’ like Elvis Presley”, nice.

17. I’mma Do ft. Steve Fox & Premonition
Chorus is alright, but catchy. Steve – Mic presence lacking. Doubles are off.
BS – Very abstract lyrics. Vocal mixing could have been better.
Prem – Somewhat monotone delivery. Tight flow.

18. Candy Ravers (80C Remix)
Vocals a little low. Funky beat. Fun delivery. Weird vocal effects. Quirky ending.

19. All Wrong ft. Pruven, brokeMC, TruthNow, Albert Rhymestein, Dyalekt, & Steve
Fox
BS – Nice multi-syllabics. Flow could have been tighter.
Pruven – Vocal levels and mixing were subpar.
Broke – Good delivery. Tight flow.
Truth – Flow is very rigid. Vocal production is crisp.
Al – “He didn’t want to live naively, that’s all”.
Dyalekt – Pronunciation is very blurry. Rapid flow.
Steve – Cool delivery.



Strengths
+ Wide and unique range of topics.
+ Entertaining, charismatic, and oftentimes funny delivery.
+ Wide range of talented guest MCs.
+ A few very funny lines.
+ Pretty solid beat selection.

Weaknesses
- His flow, while sometimes tight, was often somewhat basic.
- Uneven mixing all throughout the tape.
- Not many standout lines.
- Lyrics were too abstract at times.
- Some guest appearances didn’t go as well as others.


Compatibility Rating:
Underground: 65%
Mainstream: 35%


Favorite Song: The Vamps


Face Value: 8/10




CLICK HERE FOR A FREE FULL DOWNLOAD OF THAT JAWN VOL. 1




CONTACT INFO


http://twitter.com/trustBS
http://www.facebook.com/trustBS

Mixtape Review: "XS" by Jesse Abraham

1. Abraham & Cheese
Clever title. Clips from an audio book playing over a pretty decent beat.

2. So Whatcha Feelin’? Ft. Jenny Hartman
Diggin this beat. Fast marching-band percussion and groovy bass line. “Droppin cakes and candy corns” odd. “Mental laps/lapse” nice. The chorus is quirky but vibeable. “Efficient vibration” hehe. Flow speeds up nicely on last verse. The lyrics on this last verse are very abstract and random. Very hard to follow.

3. Either
Nice beat, remind me of a joint Jay-Z rocked before. The chorus is alright. “like Dr. Pepper when he throws his soda out” I have no idea what that means. Flow is on-point. “Nickel bag trickles”. Dope rhyme scheme/structure. Vocal production is off. “Stripper in a Duke dorm” reference was fairly obscure. “Genitals, heel” haha!

4. Between The Bars ft. Top $ Raz, Spills, & Pete Colon
The beat is sick, loving the deep synth. Vocals on chorus are too low and partially incoherent.
Raz – Nice multi-syllable rhymes. Delivery and flow work with the beat well. “Comes with the territory” tight.
JAbra – Good delivery and flow. Lyrics are on the battle tip. Dope rhyme scheme. Delivery change-ups are sick. Some of the content seemed out of place.
Pete – Vocals are too low. Interesting delivery. Nothing stood out lyric-wise.
All three verses were speaking on 3 different topics. No thematic cohesion at all.

5. Now I Know
The beat is bumping with a catchy percussion. Feelin’ the chorus. “Series of moments”. First track with a solid topic. “A part of each other” nice. “I’m a fraction”.

6. Softly
A dopely mixed & sampled beat.

7. Just In Time ft. YC The Cynic
Chorus is well structured but Jesse’s singing voice is too monotone. Beat is righteous. Flow is vicious. “Shuckin’ the corn” Haha! What!?
YC – Very on topic. “I fly with it”. Effective delivery and nice flow.
JA – Diggin’ this drastic change in delivery. More on-topic here. “Hadoken a wristwatch” hehe. Cool bridge-like transition before the last couple lines.

8. I Can’t Quit You
Beat is super-tight. “Legally bequeaths me with beats” ok. Great vocabulary. “Trees, leaves, and seedling.. paper” dope. Diggin’ the delivery a lot. Nice multis. Well done vocal effects.

9. All I Know Is
Chill beat, I feels it. “Playing with a dradel” Haha!! Chorus is decent. Nice topic and content.

10. When
Funky beat. “Stop being bendy” Haha! “When will vaccines get infected”, “When did everyone start wearing tight pants”, “Ticklish”. Unique topic and rhyme scheme.

11. The Sit Down
This was weird/interesting haha. It could have been better developed. If it's a "voicemail" how are you responding to him?

12. The Sickest
Vocal production is low quality. Some nice mixing, but also sometimes it’s too much. “Disinfect it”. Diggin’ this chorus.

13. That Song
Vocal production needs work. Flow is a tad basic compared to flow on previous songs. The main chorus sample is somewhat annoying after a while.

14. March
Very synthy and clubbish beat, I digs. Organs add nicely to it. Soft background ambient synth make a smooth transition. I like evolution of percussion after that midpoint. This is a really unique mix of techno, house, and hip-hop.

15. Take Me
Chorus is cool. “Even then we say yum” haha. The topic romantically describes NYC. The delivery was alright, but I felt was not up to par as in some of the earlier tracks.



Strengths
+ Excellent flow that stays on beat all throughout and changes up at the right times.
+ Varied rhyme structure that makes great effort towards keeping the listener’s attention.
+ Sick delivery in most of the tracks.
+ Guest artists were on-point for the most part.
+ Awesome beat production.

Weaknesses
- Random lyrics and content peppered much of the first half of this tape that can leave the listener confused and de-immersed.
- The bottom portion of the tape, from 11-15, consisted of tracks that, while more on-topic, were more bland than the first 10 songs, with not many stand-out lines at all.
- Vocal production was a mixed bag. Some tracks were well engineered, while others were clearly not.
- Jesse’s delivery was lackluster towards the end, especially compared to the first set of tracks.
- Song topics in the first half could have been better thought out and cohesive.



Compatibility Rating:
Underground: 75%
Mainstream: 25%


Favorite Song: Now I Know


Face Value: 7.8/10



CLICK HERE FOR A FREE FULL DOWNLOAD OF XS


CONTACT INFO

http://jesseabraham.com/index-highres.html
http://twitter.com/jesseabraham
http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseAbraham212