Making history yesterday was yet another artist reigning from the West Coast. Residing on the streets of Crenshaw, which is also the title of the mixtape, is none other than the Crip, Nipsey Hussle. As an artist coming from the West in today's world, the bar has been set very high. With MC's/rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Murs, Fashawn, Ab-Soul, and Dom Kennedy you have to come with it if you are looking to succeed in the game and Nipsey not only does that, he exceeds it. Yesterday fans had the option of downloading the mixtape from any of the big name downloading sites or going to proud2pay.com to purchase the project for $100.00, yes, One hundred dollars. Now there was a lot of criticism and controversy for the fact that the price was so high. Well what most people didn't know is that the physical copy was signed by Nipsey Hussle himself and it doubled as a concert ticket that was at a secret location. The first 1,000 copies were sold in LA which is who the concert will be provided for. People were throwing all types of shade toward him and his camp through every social media network and barbershop that were aware of it, forgetting that a purchase is not a requisite, it's a choice.
Nipsey has not really made appearances on BITM but with the release of Crenshaw, I can guarantee as long as he stays true to his-self and continues to make music like this he will stay on here. Nip is a straight up street rapper but he's not your average one. Unlike other street rapper's, Nipsey doesn't come with the same repetitive style that a lot of these guys come with. I admit when I first heard him I thought he was just another Meek Mill (he sounds nothing like him at all or raps like him, I just judged him by his name honestly). Nip reminds me of a California version 50 Cent. Like a lot of other artists, he raps about his own struggle and come up in life but does it in a way that people can vibe to. Nipsey's songs are inspirational, especially for hood niggas. His main message is to stay true to you and do your own thing. His delivery is also what makes him so appealing to listen to.
The Gangsta Grillz tape is 21 tracks, one hour and a half long, and it is so high quality that you would think that it was an album. After fans starved for music from Nip, no one could be mad with the final product. The production behind the mixtape is remarkable. With producers like 9th Wonder, Futuristics, 1500 or Nothin, Cozmo and a lot more, it's no wonder why this project is an instant hood classic. Features from artists include Dom Kennedy, Rick Ross, James Fauntleroy, Sade, Slim Thug, Zeke and more.
I definitely was proud to pay $100 for such a potent piece of art. You may not agree with the price but no one said you had to buy it, the mixtape is available on datpiff, hotnewhiphop and I'm sure there are more sites that have this available. I think this mixtape and Rapsody's She Got Game (which Nipsey Hussle also featured on and was reviewed on BITM) are the two best mix tapes I've heard all year. Rapsody proudly admitted to the public that she was riding to Crenshaw in one of her tweets. Nipsey posted a instagram post with the caption "Niggas be like 'who gone spend $100 on a cd' I be like…." with a picture of a deposit into his account of 10,000 from none other than the GOAT Jay Z. If you did the math right, that quotient is 100: 100 units of the mixtape is what Mr. Carter bought from the West Coast king. Nipsey Hussle has gained the respect of many artists young and OG's: they recognize that he is serious about the game and that he is here to stay. With this mixtape that dropped and his album Victory Lap that will soon be available, people can see that he is grinding. Do yourself a favor and download this mixtape…
Twitter: @_KJTheGreat or @BestInTheMix
Email: Kjohnsonk14@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment