KWTers, for our latest installment of "Must Download", I offer up Z-Ro, Houston legend, and one of the most underrated rapper alive. He is a god of southern rap, but sadly, mainstream adulation, or even widespread blog love, has eluded him over the course of his illustrious career.
His discography is huge, and can be a messy, impenetrable wall for newcomers. Thus, allow me to take your hand (no Sandusky) and guide you to a very excellent entry point in your education of the life and times of Z-Ro. (continued after the jump...)
The tape is old in Internet time (in came out in June), but great music transcends time. Which means yes, you will be downloading 5200 by Z-Ro.
It features of lot of typical southern rap tropes, like doing drugs, doing drugs in the club, dealing drugs, making money, being a pimp, etc. But you have never heard it like this. Ever. Subject matter you'd expect on a 2 Chainz tape is transformed from the expected one-dimensional presentation into humanized, complex commentary. It comes courtesy of one of the most interesting characters in rap today; he's very depressed, he's an unabashed drug addict who dips in-and-out of jail, and he's an absolute gangster with an old soul. The excellence presented in his writing is dropped onto a sizzling pan of some of the most bumping, grooving tracks you'll encounter this year, and rolled up and deep fried in the most versatile, and singular voice heard in rap today. It's rich and booming, and instantly recognizable. Z-Ro sounds just as comfortable with slow, threatening cadences, as he does spitting double time as he does crooning his beautiful, bluesy choruses.
One day, when this living legend passes away, tributes and remixes will flood out and people that should have supported Z-Ro in life will want nothing more than to talk about how much they admired him and loved him. It's sad, but it's true.
So, get up on Z-Ro now. This is the perfect tape for it. It's a fantastic ride the whole way through, and paints a picture of the South of our dreams; candy slab whips, girls thicker than thick, swishers thicker than that, and water replaced by lean as a dietary staple. Even with all the guns being waved around, you might find yourself on the next flight to Houston.
There's an awesome passing-the-mic-duet with Mac Grace (who I've never heard of but absolutely spits venom). There's the very wild "Face Real Heavy" with an appearance from B.G, in which Z-Ro brags about sleeping on club walls and being a Codeine Professor. As well, I can't not mention the opener with Slim Thug, entitled "Southside Groovin", which has been formally shortlisted for my top 10 songs of the year list. Z-Ro and Slim take Dre and Pac's "California Love", rework it, puff out their chests and let you know what the fuck the south is about. Z-Ro knows better than most.
Download: Z-Ro - 5200 (Mixtape)
Leave a comment in the comment section below. It's as easy as putting in an email, and picking a name for yourself. Any discussion is appreciated. Share it on Twitter & Facebook. Also check out my other work under the "SeriouslyTS" tab at the top.
No comments:
Post a Comment