Second Season Finale

It's been two whole years since Stack That Cheese was born. What started as a way to get involved within ACRN has become a weekly celebration of all that rap stands for, both good and bad. After looking back at the past 40-something posts, I can positively say that STC has really grown and so have I in the process. Thanks to whoever reads this, no matter what your reason.

To celebrate two years of hip-hop reviews, I decided to compile my favorite releases that I have reviewed. After starting with a list of over a dozen memorable mixtapes, I've whittled it down to a mere five. But before we get to those, let's just remember some of the tapes that didn't quite make the cut but were pretty gosh darn close.

Honorable Mentions:

Young Thug & Bloody Jay - Black Portland

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Young Thug is one of the most fascinating rumors of recent memory. From the questionable fashion choices that lead to speculation over his sexuality to the constant rumors involving him and Young Money, Young Thug has taken everything crazy about this current Southern Renaissance and made it even crazier. Whether he will continue to remain so interesting has yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure: I'll always love "Danny Glover," and that's a Stack That Cheese promise.

King Los - Becoming King

Los has been one of the most impressive lyricists since he first stepped in the game. However, he never really had that "it" factor. That was until he became King. Becoming King was the first time that Los actually acted like the star everyone always knew he could be. Honestly, if this was a month ago, this would have made it into my top five easily. However, with King Los leaving Bad Boy (again) and releasing a mixtape that dropped slightly in quality, it seems the King still has some work to do before he rules over a court.

Flatbush Zombies - Better Off Dead

This was by far the hardest tape to leave out of the top five. I was accidentally on a real East Coast kick this past September. Artists like MeLo-X and CJ Fly proved how unique the Beastcoast movement was when done right. But no one, not even Joey Bada$$ himself, had as distinct a sound as the Flatbush Zombies. The Zombies managed to create a rap-rock hybrid that always been impressive. Their gritty sound can be matched by few and the fact that they had a Danny Brown feature launched it over the edge. It was a fantastic effort on their part and I can't wait to see what's up next for the East Coasters.

Now, time for the five best mixtapes this writer has ever reviewed. It was a tough list to compile and I'll probably change my mind within a month, but all of these mixtapes deserve praise no matter what.

5. YG - Just Re'd Up 2

I don't know what it is, but I have a huge soft spot for YG, and it all started with this tape.

YG is that ratchet rapper that you can't help but love. Sure, King Los and the Flatbush Zombies have better lyrics, but there's just something about the way YG carries himself that makes him so irresistible. It doesn't hurt, either, that he's got DJ Mustard on his side.

Looking back, this mixtape is even better now than it was back then. Since this tape was released, multiple guest stars have gotten fame of their own, from Ty Dolla $ign to Young Scooter, Just Re'd Up 2 has become a who's who of guest stars.

And then there's how awesome My Krazy Life turned out to be. On one hand, that shows how much better Just Re'd Up could have been, but on the other hand it just makes you like the guy even more. Plus, as much as I love "My Nigga," nothing will replace the pure insanity that is "Make It Clap."

4. Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. (King Remembered in Time)

As much as this Southern Renaissance in hip-hop is growing on me (I'm even starting to like some Future), there's still nothing better going on in the South than Big K.R.I.T.

K.R.I.T. has long been a power house in the Southern hip-hop community. Ever since he first burst on the scene in 2010, he's proven to be one the most authentic lyricists that hip-hop had to offer. And K.R.I.T. proved that stereotype to be true.

On his self-titled mixtape, K.R.I.T. brought a classic Southern sound that could have easily been on a UGK album. And the lyrics, as always, were spot-on. I'm really looking forward to his next project due out this year, especially since his last one turned out so good.

3. Action Bronson - Rare Chandeliers

Four words: Action Bronson and Alchemist. That's all you need to know in order to confirm this is a good mixtape. Alchemist has this way about him that allows him to make every artist sound good, but Bronson is a whole 'nother story.

What's so amazing about this mixtape is how perfectly the pairing goes together. Action Bronson is one of the most terrifying rappers around, always striking fear into the listener. And Alchemist makes some of the darkest, grimiest beats around. So together, the duo is basically a horror movie with better music.

I'm still embarrassed I didn't name this the best mixtape of Season One. Rare Chandeliers is the scariest form of perfection. Plus, it is the coolest mixtape cover ever.

2. CyHi The Prince - Black Hystori Project

This one is just flat out unfair. CyHi fans and most people in the hip-hop scene knew something like this was possible, but damn does it feel good to see CyHi actually achieving it.

The GOOD Music artist has been making music for a few years now. His Ivy League tapes and his appearances on GOOD Music affiliated songs have especially proven how strong of an artist The Prince was. But nothing he's done has ever been this good. Hell, I would say this has been one of the best releases in rap all year, and it's been a year crowded with quality releases.

The production on this was perfect, matching the mood of CyHi's lyrics exactly on every single song. And the concept behind this album--to pay tribute to the trailblazers of the black community--isn't a new one, but the way CyHi executes it makes it feel as if it is. This guy has to release a record soon or I'm going to go insane.

1. Vic Mensa - Innanetape

Who else could it be?

Vic Mensa's Innanetape was not only one of the best mixtapes of 2013, but it was one of the best releases of any genre. I ranked it fifth among all albums last year and I'm standing by that claim.

Outside of Chance the Rapper, Vic is just about the most inspired young rapper, embracing styles that most other hip-hop artists wouldn't even think of trying. Innanetape is the perfect example of this.

From the funky "Lovely Day" to the bubbly electronic "Run!" From the trappy "Yap Yap" to the soulful "Holy Holy" (which includes an emotional verse from Ab-Soul), there's nothing Vic Mensa can't do. Thanks to him and Chance, Chicago has a bright future that's only going to get brighter with time.

Kimye Day

Before I get started, I just want to say congratulations to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on their recent engagement. Hopefully, the next time Kanye googles himself, he comes across this and knows that the hip-hop blog community loves him and wishes him luck. Or he just notices me. That'd be pretty awesome.

The Good:

Big Sant - The Great American Mattress Sale

Big Sant is a Mississippi rapper who definitely represents the Southern feel. I mean, his Facebook page says he's "0% bitch!" If that's not Southern rap, then I don't know what is.

The Great American Mattress Sale is noticeably different from a lot of the rap out there straight from the get-go. It has a handful of goofy skits that sound like commercials for, you guessed it, a mattress sale. This gives the mixtape a fun vibe to it.

If only Sant had an actual
gospel choir.

But this playful attitude follows into the songs. Sant has a lot of fun with the beats. There's some pretty big funk and gospel influences on here and Sant's not afraid to unleash a few freestyles.

Normally, I'm not a big fan of freestyles on mixtapes and albums. These should be treated as a platform for an artist's best work that they spent countless hours putting together. But Big Sant manages to put together some pretty good bars over some well-thought out beats.

"Numbers" is a freestyle that is actually one of Big Sant's best performance on the album. The fact that lines like "She looking for a trick / It ain't under my sleeve, darling" came off the top of his head just makes it more impressive. Plus, the beat is a banger thanks to its bass and creative use of percussion.

"Full Time Hustler" is one of his more Southern songs. The beat is composed of some funky bass slapping and a tambourine with a chorus sung by Sant himself. Plus, the idea of being a hustler is something that a Mississippi rapper almost has to embrace.

And if we're talking Mississippi rap, it's hard not to bring up names like Big K.R.I.T., David Banner and Tito Lopez. Luckily for the listener, all these soulful Southerners appear on one track, "Fire Water II."

This has to be the mixtape's stand out song. The beat, produced by David...David...David Banner, is one of those beats that needs to be blasted in a car going 15 in a 25, driver nodding his head and clutching the steering wheel with only one hand. And Sant, Lopez and K.R.I.T. all deliver in their performances. K.R.I.T. especially comes through. Even among other talents, K.R.I.T. still seems like a rap god with his freaky fast flow.

Big Sant puts together a really good mixtape with The Great American Mattress Sale that should put him into any conversation about modern Southern rap, and manages to have fun while doing it.

The Bad:

Mann - The Expansion Tape

The only thing that bothers me more than bad rap is bad rap that could be good with just a little extra effort. That's really just the best summary of The Expansion Tape that I can give, honestly.

Where The Expansion Tape falters is Mann's lyrics. He has an alright flow--a bit like Big Sean. But his rhymes just don't live up to the potential that his mixtape has.

Any semblance of potential comes from the beats that he gets for The Expansion Tape. Most mixtapes have one or two main producers with maybe a couple extra sprinkled into the mix. Mann decides to go a totally different route, managing to get some production from multiple sources and most of it is pretty good.

"Barbie Girl" meets rap on
"Hooked on Phonics."

"Hooked on Phonics" is produced by Laze & Royal. They give the track an early 2000s electronic pop feel thanks to a sample of a bubbly female vocalist. Paired with some hip-hop drums and synths, this sample becomes a legitimate beat. But Mann makes the song less listenable with his lyrics, where he rhymes words like "bull shit," "took it" and "crooked." His flow makes up for it a bit, but not enough to salvage the track.

"Rather Dream," produced by Sounds (dumb name for a good producer) is a slow jam that gets gradually more "bumping," as the kids say, thanks to some interesting toned-down synths. But once again, Mann stays with an overly simplistic rhyme scheme and it lowers the entertainment value yet again.

"Love is Back" is one of the more interesting beats I've heard as of late, sampling little kids singing and pairing it with a simple piano riff. Plus, tone Oliver shows up to provide a decent verse, especially compared to Mann. I'd even go so far to say that not even Mann could ruin this song.

With just a little extra effort on his lyrics, Mann could've made a good mixtape. He managed to get some borderline great production, but he's just not ready to live up to that same level. Mann's definitely worth keeping an eye on, because if he improves even a little, he could be extremely entertaining. But for now, he's still got some improving to do.

The Re-dic-yu-lus:

Young Sam - Wake & Bake

Look at this. The rapper. The title. The cover. Everything about this screams cliché stoner rap.

I originally had him as just bad. But I had to downgrade him. This shit stank!

Imagine being there for the conversation that led to his name.

"Hey dude, what should my name be?"

"It should probably reflect who you are as a person. Let's see, your name is Sam. You're still pretty young. You..."

"Wait. I got it! Young Sam!"

"Brilliant!"

Or what about the idea of this mixtape?

I'm not positive, but I think
Young Sam smokes this.

"Ok, now with this mixtape, I want to get across the idea that I smoke weed."

"How do you expect to do that?"

"I was thinking naming it after a common stoner phrase."

"Good idea, but what if it's not obvious enough?"

"Then the cover will show me smoking weed with a massive bag of dank to my side."

"You did it again, Sam!"

I'm exaggerating a bit, but after listening to Wake & Bake, I don't think I'm too far off.

Based on the comments on this mixtape, it's clear I have the same idea as a lot of people on the internet--he's Wiz without any hint of talent.

He definitely can't rhyme. In fact, the very first line of the mixtape on the title track freestyle (see why I don't usually like freestyles on albums?) goes, "Raised in the streets where those niggas talk weak / 911 can't save nobody." I mean if he had anything that remotely sounded like flow, he might be able to make that line work. But I'd be surprised if Young Sam had rhythm, let alone flow.

Sometimes, he'll try to make up for this with Auto-Tune, like on "Pornstar." But the Auto-Tune is so obvious and obnoxious that I wouldn't be surprised if he made this track on Fruity Loops. (Normally, I would put a picture of a pornstar in PG-13 attire to get some extra views from my pervert fans, but I'm in the library writing this and that's a little low even for me.)

Drake's crying after hearing Young
Sam's rendition of his track.

The worst thing about Wake & Bake is that he doesn't just stick to ruining his own amateur beats--he takes perfectly good songs and ruins them with what he calls rapping. Just check out "Wu Tang Forever" to see what I mean.

Stoner rap isn't my favorite subgenre by any means. In fact, I've gone on the record bashing the modern poster child for it. But it can be done well. Young Sam, though, does not do it justice by any definition of the word.

-X-Prime, dropping the mic for now.

@XavierVeccia

King Remembered In Time

I'm going to do something a little different this week. Normally, I go over three mixtapes varying in quality in mini-review form. I do this because, while I have respect for mixtapes, I do realize they shouldn't be treated the same as albums. There are exceptions to this rule, though. Joey Bada$$'s 1999 was a major one last year. And this week, another exception has arisen, so I feel it's only fair to give it the full ACRN treatment. I'm going to review it just like any other album, because that's what it deserves.

Big K.R.I.T.: K.R.I.T. (King Remembered in Time)

Rating: 8.5/10

Community used to be something important--it was what people identified with. They were proud of their community and they would do anything for it. At least, that's what our parents tell us. With the rise of the Internet age, community became less about who we lived by and more about who we associated with online.

The same can be said about rap. Community used to be something. It was an influence on rappers, as they based their sound on their community. It was so important to some that they were willing to literally die for it. Now, not so much. Sure, rappers still “rep” where they're from, but it's no longer such a strong identifier. A Bronx rapper could sound the exact same as someone from Compton and no one would think twice about it.

But there are exceptions to the new Internet age. Big K.R.I.T. is one of those exceptions. K.R.I.T. is as Southern as Southern gets and he stays true to his roots, constantly mentioning artists like UGK and Outkast in his songs.

Songs like “Banana Clip Theory” are so Southern that they feature smooth jazz influences. As the saxophones lull the listener into a chill mindset, K.R.I.T. lightly raps over the beat in a hushed voice and lyrics that are as good as anything he's written. As K.R.I.T. raps the words, “Cause if you draw down first you'll be the man / Then you'll pop the trunk and demand / That respect, if they neglect,” the Southern rapper takes an introspective look at how closely assimilated guns and power have become.

Other songs, like “Good 2Getha,” sound very much like Outkast in their glory days, as K.R.I.T. channels his inner Andre 3000 to put together a fun, danceable song that could get anyone in their groove.

What makes King Remembered in Time so good is that K.R.I.T. combines the territorial style of his with that of the new-fangled Internet age.

The song “REM” is one of the most beautifully produced tracks that K.R.I.T.'s ever come out with, as the rapper shows his production chops off (just like he does on all but one song on the mixtape). The beat combines a surprisingly good piano riff, a quick drum beat and a James Blake sample to stand out as one of the best songs on the album. The fact that K.R.I.T. is more than willing to sample James Blake shows just how modern he is.

Big K.R.I.T. proves that he is one of the best up-and-coming rappers in the game. With his complex rhymes, deep lyrics and masterful production, K.R.I.T. manages to blend his Southern hospitality with modern concepts. This helps him become more than just a mixtape rapper-- he's a bona fide MC.