Cyhi The Prynce, Buddy, Money EDD

The Good:

Cyhi The Prynce - Hystori: Black History Project

Cyhi The Prynce is so commonly recognized as the most underrated G.O.O.D. Music artist that it's easy to forget he deserves more recognition. If he's getting recognition on the message boards, isn't that enough?

Then you listen to the latest Cyhi project and you remember that he's low-key one of the best rappers in the game and deserves to be treated like one.

Hystori is largely a socially conscious album that pays tribute to great African Americans that helped pave the way for men like Cyhi. What's interesting is that he seems to pay tribute to actual activists through song titles while mimicking black musicians through the production, which was overseen by Mr. G.O.O.D. Music himself, Kanye West.

This can be heard as soon as the first track, "Huey," starts, which sounds like Yeezy got to Hova's "Hard Knock Life." In the song, Cyhi sounds an awful lot like Kanye, especially when he delivers the slightly egotistical bars that you can't even be mad at because they're kinda true, like "So next time you say, 'The A' got no lyricists' / I just think you gotta taste this exquisite shit." Plus, everyone's favorite Chicago gangster, King Louie (they call him Tony), comes through for a downright dirty verse.

"Basquiat" is another clear allusion to black art, both in the physical sense and the musical sense. The beat samples "It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock while the lyrics pay tribute to the artistic integrity of graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It's an interesting combination and it might be meant to show the difference between the two sides of art. What's really mind-blowing--if it's intentional, that is--is that Basquiat died in 1988, the same year "It Takes Two" was released. Cyhi is a clever rapper, but he's taking it to a whole new level on this one.

Cyhi didn't forget about his ancestors, either, as shown on "Mandela," where The Prince raps over African tribal drums in honor of the late South African activist.

Ultimately, Cyhi compares himself to some of these great activists and musicians. Sure, on paper that sounds like a bit much. But when listening to Hystori, it seems completely feasible. And with Cyhi's first actual album currently in the works, Hystori is just the beginning.

The BadPharrell:

Buddy - Idle Time

Kendrick Lamer, Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Sir Michael Rocks, Asher Roth, Casey Veggies and Freddie Gibbs. What do all these artists have in common? They all probably owe some favor to Pharrell and decided to pay him back by being featured on Buddy's debut mixtape.

That's right--the Compton native is lucky enough to have this all-star lineup on his first ever mixtape. How, you ask? He probably sold his soul to Pharrell. But if Pharrell has taught as anything, it's that being able to work with the Neptune is much more rewarding than any soul.

What's even crazier than the list of features is how long Idle Time has been in the works. Pharrell's little Buddy has been working on this mixtape for over three years. If only Pharrell spent that much time on his hat choices. HEYO! Pop culture references!

That being said, every year was well worth it. Smokey the Bear was able to craft a pop rap masterpiece for Buddy, and that should be huge as the West Coast rapper goes forward.

However, that doesn't mean this is good actual rap. Don't get me wrong, I love Pharrell and couldn't be happier that he has become one of the most influential people in the music industry. But, he's come a long way from the mastermind behind some of hip-hop's biggest acts and has since drifted heavily into Billboard Top 100 territory.

That's all good for Pharrell & Co., but when listening to an artist like Cyhi The Prince right before Buddy, Idle Time seems much too shallow.

"Smoke Signals," which is produced by Pharrell and features Miley, is an extremely catchy song that properly layers the Queen of Twerk underneath Buddy's vocals to give the song a bit of a soulful feel. However, when getting down to it, it's just about getting high with a girl.

These problems become even more evident when Buddy is put side-by-side with hip-hop elites like Lamar and Sir Michael.

"Agitated," which is especially notable for the Cool Kids reunion between Sir Michael and producer Chuck Inglish, just makes Buddy look foolish. While Buddy's rhyming with repetition, Michael has consecutive bars with the same rhyme scheme without repeating himself once. 

And Kendrick's verse on "Staircases" makes the metaphors in Buddy's verse seem like it was written by a child. Hell, Kendrick even spells out his usage of metaphors when he raps, "This rapping's just a metaphor and I deserve a medal for / Writing another metaphor, about ambition," and even that is more complex than Buddy. Lonely Island was a better fit for Kendrick than this youngin'. 

Idle Time accomplishes exactly what it wanted: to be catchy without much effort. And the large amount of features is enough to make the mixtape tolerable. But ultimately, this is more pop than rap, which isn't what hip-hop mixtapes are all about.

The Re-dic-yu-lus:

Money EDD - Scrilla Season

Here's a list of things this mixtape does right:

1. Uses the term "scrilla."

And that's it. I don't know why, but I've always just really liked the term "scrilla" to describe money. Same with "guap." I should really start using them more...

Sorry, I was just trying to distract myself from the actual mixtape, Scrilla Season. Good title, bad content.

One of the things that annoys me most about Money EDD (is it "Ee Dee Dee" or "Ed?") is that he thinks a hook just has to be one semi-cool sounding sentence repeated consistently. This seems to be a problem with a lot of rappers these days, but Double Dee over here takes this to an extreme. Actually, scratch that. He's not Double Dee. If he's anyone from Ed, Edd & Eddy, it's definitely Eddy. He even kind of looks like him. 

Ha! Look at that! I was kind of kidding but he actually does kind of look like an older Eddy. Even the big ears. Now EDDy has done two things right with Scrilla Season.

Sorry, I have ADD when it comes to EDD. Hot damn, I'm on a roll. But back to this whole screaming a shitty hook thing. "Floating" is a good example of this. The hook switches off between "I'm riding around witchyo girl" and one line where EDDy just sings really horribly. And then the verse starts and, to his credit, EDDy does manage some semi-decent rhymes. However, the quality is so subpar and the annoying phaser synth beat can really get on a writer's nerves.

Looking back, this looks kinda weird

And actually, doesn't this whole mixtape kind of look like something Eddy would do? I could just imagine him asking Double Dee to help out with production, but then he'd refuse, so Eddy would go to Ed, but he would do such a bad job that Double Dee would have to step in. And then they'd try to sell it to get jaw breakers, but no one would buy it. Poor Eddy.

Listening to this production, it sounds much more Ed than Double Dee. The beats are usually just a collection of boring synths or overly simple instrumentation. There's also a large amount of really stupid Auto-Tune that this writer can't stand.

Actually, the more I think about this, the more I realize this mixtape is worse than anything the Eds could come up with. Even Plank could do a better job at a mixtape than EDD. Sorry, EDD, but you're not making any scrilla off Scrilla Season. No jaw breakers for you.

Red Cafe, Shy Glizzy & Lil B

The Good:

Red Cafe - American Psycho II

One of my biggest fears as a hip-hop reviewer is a mixtape coming around that makes me look like a foolish hypocrite. If you're a regular viewer of this blog, you know how much I stress quality lyrics. I've put down many a rapper who had a pretty good mixtape, but just didn't have the lyrics to earn my support.

And then there are those mixtapes that overlook lyrics for sick beats, but their production is so good that I can't help but love it. YG and Rockie Fresh both did it in the same week and I still haven't gotten over it. This week, Red Cafe joins them with American Psycho II.

The first American Psycho

Red Cafe has been around for a minute, releasing mixtapes since 2006. Hailing from Brooklyn, he's been signed to Akon and Diddy's respective labels. But American Psycho II is his first release since the first Psycho in late 2012.

The mixtape, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid (whoooo kiiiiddd) and the LA Leakers, seems to meet somewhere in between college and gangster rap. Separately, the two genres are flawed by nature. But together, they're almost too good to be true. So good, in fact, that it makes up completely for Red Cafe's lack of good lyrics.

A perfect example is "I Love This Shit," featuring the king of lyric-topping beats, DJ Mustard himself. In typical DJ Mustard fashion, there's some simple, but banging bass and some hard-hitting horns. It's generic Mustard, but damn, is it bumping. It's enough to make one forget that the hook is repetition of the song's title and the rhymes are made out of single syllables.

Then there's the more college rap side of things with "A World Alone," which heavily samples Lorde's song of the same name. And by "heavily sample," I mean just lay some hip-hop drums over the instrumental. I wish I could use this to fuel any potential anger, but I can't help but bob my head to this. Plus, any rapper who can see how amazing Lorde is automatically earns my vote.

Luckily, I can use the excuse, "Well, he does a lot of great features." This list includes, but is not limited to, Young Jeezy, Akon, Jeremih, Ace Hood, Tory Lanez, Kevin Cossom and Shyne. And that doesn't include the two biggest features on "Boss Bitches and Fast Cars."

The previously mentioned song features borderline superstar Pusha T and the always quality Fabolous. Neither delivers his best verse on this song, but plenty of good lines are dished, like Fabolous' "Walk bitch I'm not the fella for you / I cut a dame off--Roc a fella shorty" and Pusha's verse-ending "Got your feelings crushed like the ice in a blender."

Red Cafe has a lot to improve on if he ever wants to be considered a good rapper. But he's already figured out how to make a good mixtape, so I don't see why he would ever feel the need to actually become a good lyricist. I like American Psycho II, I just hate how much I like it.

The Bad:

Shy Glizzy - Young Jefe

There are the Young Thugs of the world, who find some way to sound amazing by using some off-kilter ad-libs. Then there are the Shy Glizzies of the world, who are modeled off that same mold, just not as good at it.

On Young Jefe, Shy Glizzy seems to try everything in his power to become a Young Thug, but he's just a little off, and not in the good way. And the thing about this new brand of ad-lib rappers is that, when it's done right, it's mind-bogglingly good. But when it's done any less than perfect, the whole thing is ruined.

Isn't Maddy ying beautiful?

One prime example of Shy Glizzy trying but failing to accomplish this near impossible feat is the song "Medellin." The song, titled after the city in Columbia, is filled with random shouts and screams. The chorus alone sounds like "Maddy ying / Maddy maddy yayo." And Shy's verse is filled with "kaw"s and "bring bring"s. And Young Scooter, whose Street Lottery I actually liked a bit, stops by to deliver some help. But because it's not done absolutely perfectly in its randomness, it's not even close to good enough.

Another high-profile trap artist, Gudda Gudda, stops by in "I'm a Star." The heavy-hitting beat is a good start for the egotistically-titled song. And Gudda Gudda delivers a surprisingly tolerable verse. But Shy Glizzy can't do the same. He's got the off-pitch singing. And the sporadic "skirt skirt"s. But once again, it's not good enough.

Young Thug in a dress. Really.

Hell, Young Thug himself even stops by on not one, but two occasions. And there's barely a difference between Glizzy and Thug on both tracks, except for the fact that I can, for the most part, understand Glizzy. I should be praising him for not going so far as to be incomprehensible. But I love Thug. I can't help it.

I wish I had even the slightest idea how to describe what makes Young Thug enjoyable. I'm a failure as a hip-hop reviewer because of it. But Young Thug defies all logic. He plays by his own rules. Not in the cool, lawless way, either--he just doesn't follow rhythm or normal musical standards. I should not just dislike him, but I should hate him. And yet, I'm mad at Shy Glizzy for not being enough like him.

But my love for Young Thug isn't the thing that's keeping Young Jefe from being a quality tape. No matter how you feel about Thug, Glizzy's tape clearly sounds more like an imitator than an original, and that's never how a rapper gets good. He's got some potential to be a good bad rapper, but he has to be original before this can happen.

The Based:

Lil B - Basedworld Paradise

As is tradition, I must pray to He Who Is Based before reviewing a Lil B mixtape.

Dear Based God,

I do not deserve you

You are my savior

My almighty favorite rapper

When 05 Fuck Em was released, I listened to every song wit a smile on my face.

But, when I went to write the review about it, I failed you.

I could not figure out how to describe the 101-piece masterpiece

And so, as Valentine's Day rolled around

I knew I would fuck a bitch who couldn't be fucked by you, Based God.

And, as the prophesy foretold, I did.

But then, just three days later, you rose again

To fuck my bitch

And to become the second-coming of Yeezus

So, for that, Based God,

I thank you.

Amen.

Now that I had the privilege to talk to the holy Lil B, I can move on with my review of the amazing Basedworld Paradise.

I've gone over my obsession with covers before, and this is my new favorite cover. Not just for Based God, but for all time. Let's list what makes this the greatest mixtape cover of all time:

1. Kanye reference

2. Lil B face

That's all it takes.

Now, bad news, Bitch Mob. Basedworld Paradise is only 31 songs. That's a helluva lot less than 05 Fuck Em. But, while it's basically a Lil B version of an EP, it's still damn good.

The first words Lil B says on Basedworld Paradise are "I'm Tupac." Big words for a little B. And it's too bad that they prove to be wrong as the mixtape goes on. Because he's better than Tupac!

Take the song "Bring the Beat Back." Lil B goes about and beyond the call of duty, even rapping words with more than one syllable. He raps "business" with "fitness" and "big tits." #Genius. And then he beat boxes! Sure, he sounds a little like a chicken, but the most based chicken of all time. Just call him Kentucky Based Chicken. Or something else that doesn't sound horrible. I bet Lil B could come up with something clever.

Or "Based Memories," which has production with all the swag of a keytar. Honestly, Lil B can make anything amazing. Young Thug can only work a dress. Lil B could work a chastity belt. The only reason he doesn't is because the laws of Basedianity state he must fuck every bitch.

Lil B is a mastermind. If this doesn't prove it so, then your bitch doesn't deserve to be fucked by the Based God. My Based God have mercy on your soul.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Maino & S.M.

The Good:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Produce Vol. 1

Holy crap. This is the best thing that's ever happened to Stack That Cheese. Never did I ever think that I would be writing about one of my favorite indie pop bands in my hip-hop blog, but boy am I glad I can.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is an indie pop band out of Detroit and just about the last duo one would expect to make a hip-hop-influenced mixtape. Indie pop and hip-hop has long been a common pairing. The likes of Chiddy Bang, Hoodie Allen and even J. Cole have heavily sampled the genre to connect to a larger crowd. And it's not insane to see indie artists like The Neighbourhood go all West Coast on "West Coast." But to see a group so reliant on bubbly synths like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. turn to hip-hop is a huge surprise.

To say that Produce Vol. 1 is pure hip-hop would just be asinine. Produce Vol. 1 is much closer to Macklemore's brand of hip-hop than Kendrick Lamar's side, but it's still not that close to either. But with a large amount of features from rappers and some clear influence from everyone, from Biggie to Nate Dogg to the Gorillaz, Produce Vol. 1 still qualifies for Stack That Cheese.

Quelle Chris' Ghost at the Finish Line

Where Earnhardt Jr. Jr. accomplishes their goal of reaching hip-hop audiences the most is when they have some actual rappers to help them out. "Old Friend From the Radio" is a good example of how the indie pop duo can do hip-hop without drifting away from the genre they know best.

The song has a beat composed of steel dreams and their traditional poppy synths to give it a Jamaican hop feel. But with Quelle Chris featured on the track, the song drifts into hip-hip territory. Quelle Chris, after an underrated 2013, is perfect for this track. He delivers a quality verse that goes right along with the feel good vibes the duo is trying to get across.

This theme can also be seen with "Curtain Call." Once again, Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has a Jamaican, tribal vibe going on. Asher Roth comes through with a killer quick-paced verse. And with a hook that could have been straight out of Vampire Weekend's self-titled album, the song truly reaches a new level of catchiness.

Gorillaz's Plastic Beach

The Michigan folks also take a White-Pandas-on-steroids role a couple times. Take the song "Beach Boys
Biggie" that, you guessed it, combines the flawless sounds of the Beach Boys and Notorious B.I.G. Earnhardt Jr. Jr. doesn't just leave it as a boring crossover, as they add their own synth pop flare.

I mentioned the Gorillaz earlier as a potential influence for Produce Vol. 1 and that's because they are really one of the few predecessors I can think of for this kind of sound. The Gorillaz accomplished something similar on Plastic Beach, just less indie pop. But the twist that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. includes on Produce Vol. 1 is by no means a bad one, as the duo creates a memorable genre crossover.

The Bad:

Maino - King of Brooklyn

There's a South Park episode where Stan wakes up one day and starts seeing some of his favorite things as "shit." Like, when he listens to a song he used to like, it just "sounds like shit." It's later found out that this is the result of a horrible disease known as being a "cynical asshole."

Today, I realized I'm a cynical asshole.

I never loved Maino, but I did like a few songs. "All the Above" was a borderline anthem and "Hi Hater" was hella catchy. So, when I saw Maino released a new mixtape, I decided to take a look at the Maino songs I used to enjoy. Well, after many years since my last listen, I can safely say that Maino sounds like shit.

What happened? Suddenly, T-Pain's hook in "All the Above" sounds corny and suffocating. And "Hi Hater" isn't remotely as awesome as I remember. I like to think I've just acquired a more mature music taste. But then I remember I was jamming out to Cashy's "Tyra Dank" yesterday.

But if I'm going to be a cynical asshole, I'm going to use it to my advantage and tear this mixtape apart.

Maino sounds very outdated on King of Brooklyn. And not in the "classics" sense, but the unable to adapt sense. Which makes his claim of being the King of Brooklyn even more outlandish. I mean, Kendrick Lamar is the epitome of a modern rapper and his claim of being the king of New York was received with an insane amount of criticism.

Take the song "Tupac Problem," yet another ridiculous claim by Maino. The beat is boring and repetitive, featuring a collection of rattling hip-hop drums and an incredibly annoying synth piano roll. Also, it's worth noting that if a rapper says he feels like he "got Tupac problems," he shouldn't be starting the song rapping "world" with itself.

Troy Ave

Maino sounds even more like last generation's trash (a hip-hop generation is about five years, tops) when he features young bloods on his songs. "Lights Camera Action" is probably the best song on King of Brooklyn, but that's because it's two-thirds artists not named Maino.

"Light Camera Action" features Meek Mill and Troy Ave. The beat, produced by Alex Cardiak, is significantly better than most of the album, as Cardiak bring epic trumpets and bells to the table. But even when handed potential for an awesome song, Maino screws it up. Not only is his braggadocious verse the worst part of the song, but he also misuses the parts he's given. Troy Ave, who probably has a better claim at Brooklyn's throne than Maino at this point, is probably the most talented member of this cast, but he's forced to do the hook and only the hook.

Looking back, I have no clue why I ever really liked Maino. He's always been a below average rapper and King of Brooklyn just makes this more obvious.

The Re-dic-yu-lus:

S.M. - Select 10

It's just blistering cold outside this winter. People have been getting sick left and right. You have to feel bad for them, sometimes. Especially when that person gets sick right as he's about to record his mixtape.

I'm assuming that's what S.M. had happen to him. I mean why else would he pronounce "five hundred" as "fidehuddid?"

This happens on "500," where S.M. sounds more congested than the Antonio Banderas' Nasonex bee.

This wouldn't be too annoying if he didn't say it over and over and over again. In the hook, he describes everything from his watch to his main bitch to his side bitch as "fidehuddid." This doesn't get any better when the verse starts, either. S.M. is so incomprehensible that I don't even think I can quote him. There's one part where he says something about an onion and how he smells like money (what does that mean?), but that's all I got.

But "500" really reaches its peak in the second verse, rapped by French Montana's Hispanic brother, Taco Montana. Taco is nice enough to give the listener a lesson in math, as he raps, "50 bands on me, that's like fi-hunnid hunnids / My new watch cost ten bands, that's like fi-hunnid double."

Yo quiero Taco Montana

However, a problem arises with Taco Bell's math. You see, if we convert his lyric into some equations with x representing a band, we would get the following:

50x=500*100=50000

10x=2*500=1000

In these equations, x is equal to both 1000 and 100. A typical band is equivalent to $1000 of U.S. currency, so Fish Taco is indeed carrying around fi-hunnid hunnids, but his watch is much more than a mere fi-hunnid double if it does indeed cost ten bands. This makes his wrist accessory quite impressive, but the same cannot be said about Dr. Montana's math.

I guess I should probably comment about more than just S.M.'s congestion and Taco's poor mathematics skills. Basically, S.M. is a horrible rapper who can't be understood. He raps over beats from the likes of Mike Will Made It despite only having 12 downloads at the time of writing, so I'm going to assume he's also a liar. And he also goes by the name 2 Lettaz, so I guess he can count. But he certainly can't rap. Or do math.

JayR., Migos & Tre$um

The Good:

JayR. - Late Nights, Deep Thoughts

This is a first for Stack That Cheese, but not one I ever expected.

JayR. was a sophomore at the University of Connecticut. He was talented and showed a lot of potential as a rapper, even if it was just a hobby. He really wanted to be a pharmacist. But he's going to be stuck being remembered as a rapper and I can just hope that's okay.

This is because JayR. had an unfortunate asthma attack in his dorm room on August 23 of last year. His friends didn't know CPR. The sophomore didn't stand a chance. And now this mixtape review is an obituary.

Before I go on to the review itself, I just want to make it clear that just because Late Nights, Deep Thoughts was released posthumously, it doesn't mean I'm going to critique it any less than any other mixtape. I never knew JayR. and I will never claim to have known him, but I can only imagine he would want to be respected as an artist as much as any other rapper and that's what I will attempt to do.

JayR. in High School

That being said, JayR. is pretty good. There were probably better mixtapes this week than Late Nights, Deep Thoughts. Hell, I could have even reviewed J. Cole's newest mixtape that came out last Tuesday. But that doesn't mean Late Night, Deep Thoughts isn't good.

JayR.'s best quality is his beats for sure. There's nothing flashy about them, but they're all mellow, chill jazzy beats.

"Certified" is one of the most extravagant of the mixtape. With epic trumpets and some hard-hitting drums, it comes across as quite powerful. And the lyrics, while not amazing, still hold their own. Lines like "Spittin' year of that dragon / Sippin' purple fly Aladdin," are among the best of the track.

"Mr. Make It Happen" is another fun song. The beat adds some g-funk synths to the typical jazz sound that reigns supreme on Late Night, Deep Thoughts. For a youngster like JayR. to be able to pull off g-funk is quite a feat.

Overall, JayR. shows an incredible amount of potential. Given a few more years, the Connecticut rapper could have come into his own and become a phenomenal talent. It's sad that he won't get that opportunity, but at least he'll get the opportunity to be remembered for the music he left behind, and that's all an artist could ask for.

The Bad:

Migos - Solid Foundation

Don't get me wrong--I love a banger as much as the next guy. And the guys of Atlanta's Migos seem to be naturals at creating some of the most popular songs in the game. I mean, must I remind you of the Drake's favorite "Versace?" Even if you've never heard the song itself, you've probably seen your friends tweeting corny lines like "Versace, Versace / Will you be my Valentine. I think you're a hottie." That's no accident.

And you can't even make the claim they're a one-hit wonder anymore, because "Hannah Montana" is getting a pretty good amount of plays, too. Granted, it's basically the same flow. But there's no denying these guys know how to make hits.

Well, there was no denying it. Until Solid Foundation.

It's not like Migos changes up its formula much on the newest mixtape, part of DJ Drama's "Gangsta Grillz" series. It's just that, for hit-makers, the trio is rather boring.

Bill Nye the Banger Guy

I'm no bangologist (which should be a real profession), but I know to make a banger one must either be overly catchy, feature a heavy-hitting beat, have hype-inducing rhymes or some combination of the three. Solid Foundation somehow manages to avoid every possible formula for a hit.

There are songs on Solid Foundation that come close to getting the listener out of his seat.

"ATM" is one of these songs. The beat is a little pedestrian, but it gets the blood pumping a little with heavy bass and typical rap synths. The hook, however, is the song's real source of power, as the trio is found shouting, "Call me ATM / I'm addicted to the money" enough to get it stuck in the listener's head. Plus, Jose Guapo brings an excited verse that helps him stand out not just on the song, but also in a crowded Atlanta rap game.

Jose Guapo

Then there's "They Gave the Wrong Nigga Money," which is closer to a more subdued banger. Some electronic synths help keep the song going and the hook constantly repeating the title is oddly catchy.

And of course, there's "Get Down," which I'm not a big fan of in the slightest, but gun samples and a Gucci Mane verse will always be sellers to some factions of rap.

Other than a few stand outs, Solid Foundation is mind-numbingly bad. One can only listen to generic Southern beats and Migos' brand of strained Auto-Tuned screaming for so long. And that's not long at all.

The Re-dic-yu-lus:

Tre$um - Timing is Everything

I'm really glad I took Advil before this (I smell a sponsorship). My headache would have been out of control after listening to Tre$um's over-saturated R&B "ballads."  I'm just really glad the music itself is as horrible as the cover.

Seriously, look at this. This is proof that the selfie epidemic has reached an all-time high. When an extremely poor man's Omarion thinks it's acceptable for his mixtape (a mixtape that he paid to get sponsored by datpiff, mind you) to have a selfie as its cover, we have reached a new low point as a culture.

I mean, in the intro, Tre$um says, "I spent tons of money...on all these tracks." If he spent so much money, you think he could at least hire someone else to hold the freaking camera. Hell, just ask any friend to do it for free. Or stranger. I'd rather see Justin Bieber's mugshot as an album cover than a selfie. 

And the font. Did he go in Microsoft Paint and just type over it? Or even Photoshop? You would think he could at least add some shadow. Make the ridiculous little accent over the "e" pop a little bit.

And why does he need to have a dollar sign? I get it with some artists to an extent. Like Ca$h Out? That ish is funny! But Tre$um is just unnecessary. Especially when his music involves him crying about girls much more than talking about money.

Oh yeah, music is kind of important I guess. That's pretty bad, too. The beats are generic R&B beats. You know what I mean. The bow-chicka-wow-wow and the slow grind stuff. And the themes are up that alley, too. All the "I'm thinking about you"s and "I wanna make love to you"s you could possibly want. But sappier.

Tre$um reminds me of a lot of people I went to high school with. The rich kids who think they're musically talented without trying to actually, you know, be talented. I honestly can't handle it. But I'm done with this post, so I guess I don't have to anymore. Cool.