After the controversial split of the heavyweight Roc-A-Fella label, Hip Hop supremo Damon Dash is back – returning to the Hip Hop arena with big ambitions and a hungry young roster on BluRoc Records. The first artist to wave the flag for the new brand is New Orleans spitter Curren$y.
A XXL Freshman for ’09, Curren$y’s buzz is carried into the summer of 2010 and with Pilot Talk ready for take off, how will the first venture from DD’s new order fare?
Curren$y’s sleepy, southern drawl exploded on the mixtape circuit and is eased in exceptionally on his first Roc outing with a jazzy, soulful backdrop on the opener “Example”. But don’t let the intro track fool you; Curren$y gets down and dirty, talking game and staying pimped out and there’s no better example than on the dope trill cut “Audio Dope 2”.
With producer Ski Beatz taking credit for this and many of the albums production credits, Pilot Talk glides through various offerings of gutter and laid back sounds. The striking guitar riffs on “Seat Change” featuring Snoop Dogg adds some Hendrix appeal to the chilled out raps of the duo but it’s strictly a Hip Hop vibe on the epic Jay Electronica/Mos Def collaborations on “The Day.”
Curren$y’s raps may tire and seem flawed on the lyric driven tracks, but he excels on the hazy, chilled out material. “Breakfast” has a lush, sunny morning vibe to it and “Skybourne” soars with some melodic funk.
Pilot Talk impresses with its consistent switching of heavy ‘hood material and the infectious grooves which Curren$y performs well on in equal measure. As a first offering from Damon Dash’s new label, it’s a solid offering, even more so due to Dame’s past New York affiliation in comparison to Curren$y’s southern upbringings.
Whilst it won’t shake the foundations of Hip Hop and change up the game a la Blueprint or The College Dropout, the album will definitely be well received by Curren$y fans and will raise the platform of a former Freshman who looks set to make the grade.
–Henry Yanney
Pilot Talk is out now on DD172/BluRoc/Def Jam.
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