King Los, Soulja Boy, Waka Flocka

The Good:

King Los - Zero Gravity II

Last year, Los evolved into King Los on one of the better mixtapes of 2013, Becoming King. And following typical Los fashion, the Baltimore rapper released yet another mixtape after big career news. This time around, it's his departure from Diddy's (or Puff Daddy's?) Bad Boy Records.

King Los has been signed to Bad Boy twice, once under Bloc Incorporated and the second and latest deal with Interscope Records. According to Los, this past deal ended because of problems with Interscope, not Bad Boy. But either way, this could mean dire news for Los.

Luckily for the king, it has yet to affect him too much. Zero Gravity II is just about as good as his last.

As always, King Los delivers on just about every verse. The "Control Freestyle" track is the perfect example of this. The Big Sean song turned Kendrick Lamar vehicle is the perfect beat for a lyricist like Los. Changing tempos multiple times and constantly having bars as hot as "I write a verse in reverse that reverses the Earth's spin" make the listener forget this song ever belonged to another spitter. Plus, he proves to be a merciful king, ending the song by complimenting some of the best rappers out there.

And production, per usual, is on point for the most of ZG2. "Hard Time" heavily samples Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" (which can also be heard in Kevin Cossom's "I Get Paper"). The slowed down sample deserves some head-bobbing with every listen and Kobe, Mark Battles and Shanica Knowles stop by for dynamite features.

That being said, there are some slight problems if you're nitpicking. With the Bad Boy breakup comes less connections which leads to less features. On Becoming King, everyone from Pusha T to Wiz Khalifa to Puff himself stopped by for guest spots. Granted, the themes of the mixtapes are different and Los is more than fine on his own, but some of the features on the last go-around were quite entertaining and they will be missed.

And of course, there's the constant problem with King Los: his lack of formula. Los has always been a fantastic lyricist, and it's that skill that allows him to get away with this issue. But if Los would get away from the Auto-Tune-heavy hooks and the heavy use of freestyles over other rapper's songs, he might be able to be more successful. Once again, I doubt that's Los' worry, especially since he just left his biggest supporter in Puff. But it does keep him from reaching his fullest potential.

King Los is hardly in any danger of losing his throne any time soon, even if it has left the Bad Boy Kingdom. He's still as good of a lyricist as ever and will be for a long time. And who knows, maybe the extra creative freedom will lead him to grow as an artist and maybe even release a real album. Maybe.

The Re-dic-yu-lus 1:

Soulja Boy -  King Soulja 2

That's right, homies! We have two re-dic-yu-lus mixtapes this week! Oh my lawd, I'm so excited, not even snow in spring could stop me.

The first re-dic-yu-lus mixtape is almost too old. Soulja Boy's King Soulja 2 was released a week ago, but I'm going to allow it because I love hating Soulja.

I mean, there's just so much to not like! Take the song "In Love With Me." It starts out alright with a half decent beat that I could probably get into if, say, Vic Mensa was behind it. With some decent lyrics and any resemblance of a flow, this might actually be a good song.

But Soulja Boy doesn't have either of those things. Soulja doesn't even default to his go-to yell/sing "flow," but instead just abuses Auto-Tune to the point that the listener can barely even understand him.

Then there's the remix of Drake's "We Made It" just in time for the Jay Electronica and Jay-Z to scorch it in their version. Not even the Drake feature could save this track. The OVO artist is too "Versace Versace" on this one, where Electronica and HOVA are real, unfiltered rap.

And then there's the ultimate piece of Based music: a feature from Lil B. I could write an entire post about this song, titled "I Got That Sack," alone. I mean, Lil B and Soulja Boy? In the same song? It's March! That's way too early for Christmas!

"I Got That Sack" is everything you could ever want from the duo. There's a repetitive beat, plenty of awesome ad libs on Based God's part and the line "Ohio girls make that pussy work the same way." He doesn't even clarify what he means by "same way!" But you got a shout out regardless, Ohio girls, and you should celebrate that!

Sadly, no amount of Based God features could save King Soulja 2. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Soulja would return to "Crank That" form.

Wow. That's just embarassing.

The Re-dic-yu-lus 2:

Waka Flocka - Re-Up

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Young Thug is on a song! I love him. I love him so much. I can't stop. It's an addiction, I realize, but oh my God, I can't stop. He's gonna save this bitch like Danny Glover! What's not to love!?

Okay, calm down there, Xavier. You're getting out of hand.

Deep breath.

Okay, I'm good. But yeah, this Waka tape is quite a treat. Actually, I do have to say I've grown to like Waka a little bit since getting more into the current Atlanta movement. Don't get me wrong--I still don't really like him by any means (besides the ironic way that makes me seem more hip). But guys like Young Thug and Young Scooter certainly owe guys like Waka for helping develop this new Southern sound.

That being said, this mixtape is still mostly crap. The Young Thug feature, coming in the form of a hook and a verse on "Ain't No Problems," is certainly a bright spot. The song sounds vaguely like Tech N9ne, which has never been quite my style, but is better than Waka's usual sound. And Waka and Thugger have pretty decent chemistry.

There's also "Cook Jug," featuring Young Scooter. And while the beat is as generic as generic can get, one can always count on Young SCOOOOTA to get ig'nant.

But then you're left with songs like "Lottery," where Flocka is alone, and you remember why Waka is reserved for times of ignorance. Somewhere between the multiple "Squad" shouts and the random laser synth, the listener is left wishing there was more Thug or Scooter. Granted, I think that on every song, but especially so with Waka Flocka.

Tory Lanez, Courtney Noelle, Beezy B

The Good:

Tory Lanez - Chixtape 2

What do they put in the water in Toronto? First Drake and now Tory Lanez? Whatever they're doing, they better keep it up. Unless, of course, that means they have to reelect Rob Ford.

Tory Lanez has mastered just about every aspect of hip-hop one could, including rapping, singing and producing. And while Lanez is certainly a skilled lyricist (just check out his "Danny Glover" freestyle), Chixtape 2 is indeed a tape for the chicks. So this is just some get down 'n' dirty rhythm and blues.

Lanez' singing voice sounds like The Weeknd, but his style is more similar to Drake or Ty Dolla $ign. And his beats, all self-produced, vary from bass-bumping to jazz-influenced. Plus, he has some of the best samples of the year so far. With Chixtape 2, Lanez certainly tries to prove he belongs in the same category as the aforementioned crooners, which he does in spades.

All of that All That

While we're on the topic of samples, I just have to go to "All That," which samples the theme song of the same name. Hopefully more than just '90s kids remember the sketch show, but even if you don't recognize the tune, you'll still enjoy the beat.

The bass is incredibly heavy in this slow ballad. Mixed with the demented All That theme song, it stands out as one of the best beats on the mixtape. Plus, there's something about Lanez singing, "These niggas can fuck, but they'll never fuck you like I do" over a childhood memory that feels so good.

Another solid sample comes along in "T.L.C." Once again, the title gives it away, as the sample comes from TLC's "No Scrubs." By slowing it down significantly, Lanez creates a weirdly catchy chorus. The overall production is a bit eerie and Lanez sounds like early aughties R&B, matching the beat. It's a match made in heaven.

On the other end of the production spectrum is "U.N.I.T.Y." Lanez's rhythmic flow sounds a lot like early Drake. It doesn't hurt opening with a line about Texas. But the beat is mostly a saxophone and some simple drums. It's just about as smooth as R&B can get.

Lanez does a lot for himself on Chixtape 2. Even though he didn't drop any bars, he still delivered an entertaining mixtape and proves Drake isn't the only dual threat from Toronto.

The Bad:

Courtney Noelle - Love on the Run

I guess this is just R&B week with Stack That Cheese.

Courtney Noelle is Taylor Gang's residential female hook maker. To be honest, I came into Love on the Run expecting it to be mediocre. Aside from Ty Dolla $ign, I haven't liked anything from TGOD in a while. And considering Noelle is trying to get noticed, there's going to be a lot of Taylor Gang guest spots.

Just like most of what TGOD does, Love on the Run is pretty generic. The beats sound like just about anyone could sing over them, which isn't what an artist trying to break through should try for.

The songs most people will be heading to right away are "You Got Me" and "Just Fuckin," featuring Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign, respectively.

"You Got Me" has a kind of string-like beat with some rhythmic guitar that sounds like something Ciara did at the beginning of her career. Wiz starts off alright by Wiz standards, but eventually starts "rhyming" things like "Rasta nation" and "crazy person." Plus, Noelle sounds especially annoying in between Wiz's verses.

Ty Dolla $ign looking patriotic

And "Just Fuckin" just makes me feel bad for Noelle. She sounds better in this song than she did in "You Got Me," but compared to Dolla $ign, she sounds like an amateur. Granted, Ty has emerged as one of the leaders in this new generation of Auto-Tuned crooner, and Noelle is still relatively new, but she shouldn't sound so behind. Luckily, Ty's hook of "I love your body / But it ain't love / We just fuckin'" lasts for most of the song, making it tolerable.

There are some features from Juicy J and Chevy Woods as well, but Noelle does spend most of Love on the Run on her own. But those solo acts are just as bad.

"Fooled" is her single that, to be fair, is one of the better songs on the project. But she's not talented enough to carry a track by herself. She's just average, and that's not enough.

I could definitely see Noelle delivering some catchy hooks on her labelmates' projects, but that's just about all I can see from this Taylorina.

The Re-dic-yu-lus:

Beezy B - Hood University Vol. 1

I honestly have no clue what's going on with this one. Maybe it's my lack of sleep or maybe it's the mugshot looking at me. It doesn't help that every song title looks like it's a file name. All I know is this mixtape is absolutely horrible.

There's a decent chance this mixtape is half Beezy B and half...I don't even know. I just don't know anything anymore.

He didn't do it

The first five songs are clearly Beezy. I think. The standout track is titled "gmb-ent o-j-didnot-do-it." So I'm assuming it's just "OJ Didn't Do It." The beat is just so incredibly bad. There are these horribly mastered bass hits mixed with simple hip-hop sounds that have been done a million times before. And then Beezy just mumbles a hook of "OJ didn't do it" over and over again until you actually believe him.

On the other half, it might be some group called Unstoppable? Maybe? There's this track I'm assuming is called "Free Everybody." It jacks the beat from Childish Gambino's "Freaks and Geeks," which is one of Gambino's best tracks, and they just ruin it completely.

The track opens up with a hook of "Stay swaggin' til they let all my people go" and "Free all my people." And there's not even real rhythm. It's just kind of like saying words as they come to mind.

There is a song called "100s Baby" that I kind of like because it does sound Young Thug-esque. But I can't tell if the hook--which takes up most of the song--is sung by a woman or a pubescent boy. And that's enough for me to hate it.

I just don't even know what hip-hop is after listening to this. I just can't.