Thursday, March 21, 2013

[Mixtape Review] Steezy Grizzlies - Green


Right from the very start of Green, the latest project from Steezy Grizzlies, it's apparent that Steezy is on a different plane than that of his previous works. Beginning with "Yawns" Steezy drops some real lines "In this rap circle, everyone wants to be rMell or Trill. That's why it's kinda hard to tell, who is original still" something which is quite true. Rap has become a carbon copy genre, with every rapper wanting to be someone else or sound like something else. This introspectiveness is what sets Steezy apart, not only is he aware of his own faults, he is willing to point them out. That is one of the reasons why the intro to Green is so great, it's Steezy finally being himself and not caring about pleasing fans or the opinion of others. 

Next is the high energy "SNB Anthem II" featuring Rashad Stark with excellent production from Plue Starfox. It's simply Steezy and Rashad having fun and rapping well, the former is something that I noticed over the course of my listen. I get the sense that Steezy had fun during the recording process of Green, something that I didn't get from past projects. 

Green does well to show off Steezy's versatility from his softer side, "Paradise Falls" and "My B.R.I.A. (Simp Song II)" which are definite highlights of the project with the former featuring not only a dope verse from Grammy Family's rMell but also production, which samples Yuji Ohno's "Love Theme" from Lupin III. To his more "street" side with "Gangsta Minded Gohan"  and the Johny Locus assisted "dmGOTHAM" both featuring some braggadocious rhymes. Lastly, "Neega The 2nd." with the lyrical monster Surp God who drops a show stealing verse but Steezy holds his own against Surp and avoids being outclassed. Steezy closes out the tape with the last two tracks featuring his SNB family, although I wish he would've ended it with a solo track, the whole SNB does well and shows off their individual talents which I suppose was the purpose. 

All together Green is the best project from Steezy Grizzlies by far, it is more polished and feels more organic than his previous drops. The only thing I can say negative about it was that it was too short but that doesn't take away from the project itself, plus I believe it was intended to be short in duration. Steezy has shown that he can hold his own against some of the best in his area with his last three projects, hopefully an album is in the works. I think that is the last step in his evolution as an artist, I'd like to see what he could do over a full length 45-55 minute project. However, until that time, just enjoy Green.

Standout Tracks: Yawns, Paradise Falls, My B.R.I.A. (Simp Song II), dmGOTHAM, & Neega The 2nd. 

FINAL VERDICT
+ Steezy's best work yet
+ Great production
+ Good features
+ Versatile sound

- Unnecessary interludes
- Short track length 

8.5/10

0 comments: