I know a lot of critics are comparing this album to N.W.A and Public Enemy albums which is really cool and probably flattering to Mike but it just sounds like a really good Southern Rap album to me. By only mentioning those 2 groups, it just feels like the complexities of southern rap is still being ignored, as if Outkast, UGK, Dungeon Family, Geto Boys, Trick Daddy, and 8Ball and MJG did not make great well rounded albums which also touched on Socio-Political issues in a direct ways (You could probably argue that most hip hop is socio-political but that’s a whole other post). Another narrative that surrounds the album is saying how nostalgic it is but fuck that this album is so of-the-moment, it’s a rap blog nerd’s wet dream. Ever since Wiz Khalifa, Drake, and Kid Cudi had their moments in the spot light, some of the most critically acclaimed acts have started making more “aggressive” music and acts like Waka Flocka and Tyga have gotten more attention on music blogs. Shit, even Take Care went kind of hard and Drizzy got his teddy bear thug on. It’s also pretty obvious how much the Occupy Movement has influenced this album and with the resurgence of political protest it kind of created an opening for this album to come out and make an impact. Basically this album screams internet rap. As a side note when Mike opens his verse on Big Beast with “Wha-da-da-dang, wha-da-da-da-da-dang” it’s possibly my favorite moment of any song to come out this year.
