Curren$y needs to be one of your favorite rappers. I don't care what you think of weed raps or sneaker-laced diatribes. Hot Spitta has one of the best track records in hip-hop over the past 3 years, with several mixapes on the circuit and now 3 albums under his belt. You would swear that the New Orleans-born MC was pushing some illegal pharmaceuticals with the way he has his listeners addicted to his slippery flow and easy-going lyrics. That's the concept behind the video for his Pilot Talk track 'Audio Dope'. Spitta clearly is the guy pushing lyrical weight out here, and he's got the addicts and goons under him to prove it in the visual. No one can say the man isn't working hard. A cut off his new album yesterday and a music video from his old album today? JETS is all you need to say at this point...
It's a great day in music when, as an artist, you see your wildest dreams come to fruition and your music take on a life of its own. Curren$y, your album 'Pilot Talk' is the fruits of your labor growing into a mysterious garden of fresh rhymes, incredible production, and a strange stench of well-tended herbs. Spitta, you've come a long way. From proclaiming 'Where the Cash At' behind the ego of Lil' Wayne, to destroying a mixtape circuit where few are well-equipped and fewer make it out alive, to becoming the underground's green thumb, you've circled the block so many times, you might as well live there. Pilot Talk, though only your third album (with more on the way), is a culmination of sorts. Rather than digital releases and blog leaks, this work has a much more professional and personal touch to it, right down to the cover (see above). Damon Dash's reincarnation of Roc-A-Fella Records has breathed life into your already vibrant career, and I for one couldn't be more excited.
Around this time last year, I was fresh off listening to your juggernaut of a mixtape with Wiz Khalifa, 'How Fly'. Now, that was damn near a classic (by today's standards; don't get it twisted), but one thing stuck out to me: how juvenile, or better yet, unrefined it sounded. If a person wasn't a fan of you or Wiz, they heard this:
Weed, cars, sneakers, weed, girls, weed, flight metaphors, weed, random video game/sports/movie/music reference, weed, cars, weed, sneakers, girls, weed
That's a lot of marijuana references for someone who, I hope, doesn't wish to be classified as a stoner rapper. You and Wiz reek of excellence, but I doubt you want to be the next Cheech and Chong. You needed to step your game up, in a real way. You needed to show the world that the Hot Spitta is a pro at this, not just a good amateur with connections. In other words you needed to rise above the smoke. Pilot Talk is the work that, when we go back and look at your career, will be recognized as your turning point, or the takeoff point. The album is ridiculously well produced. Every beat sounds masterful, especially Breakfast (probably my favorite song of the past 3 months), whose horns and new guitar melody (it's a much deeper beat than the one I posted a while back) will put the most restless soul at ease. Your lyrics sounded effortless there, with more subliminal wordplay than most would know what to do with. Tracks like Prioritize, Roasted, The Hangover and Address show you haven't lost the edge that got you to this point. When you said you spit vicious, you weren't lying.
There's a supreme cockiness that I can hear in your voice, yet you rap about having your head on straight, investing your money wisely and being a workaholic. I guess Dame Dash has rubbed off on you, and his DD172 collective have done you well. There's tenable growth that people who haven't been listening might not see. Curren$y, there weren't any moments during the album that made me want to press skip. It was simply a good listen. The features were a highlight too. Mikey Rocks ripped his verse, Big KRIT and Smoke DZA surprised me again on Skybourne, and Devin the Dude played the perfect sidekick to your only truly weed-inspired song, Chilled Coughee. Spitta, I'm genuinely impressed and happy with this release. Blog rappers don't usually make albums that translate well outside of those blogs. Good to see something going right. Keep flying, Spitta.
#dopetracks:
Address
Prioritize
Breakfast
Example
Audio Dope
Group albums are a rarity these days in hip-hop. Child Rebel Soldiers with Lupe, Kanye & Pharrell was supposed to be out 3 years ago, we're waiting on another Wu-Tang collab and the rest of the rap world is content throwing out wack solo albums. That said, it's nice to see some of my favorites jump on a track together. Curren$y's 'Pilot Talk' is set to drop on June 30th, and I, for one, could not be more excited. Spitta's really grown as an artist as of late, refining everything from his metaphors and wordplay to his flow. I guess it doesn't hurt to have Dame Dash, Jay Elec and Mos Def in your corner for inspiration when those plane and weed references get old. Even so, I don't think he'll need a lot of help. The track is soooooo jazzy in the beat department, thanks to Ski Beatz, and reeks of blaxploitation films and great drums. I really hope Ski comes out of the woodwork with some of these unfinished projects. Regardless, check out one of the tracks off 'Pilot Talk'. Spitta lives!!!
It's a great feeling predicting or making a calculated guess at something and then that thing coming true. I posted a freestyle last week from the homie Curren$y, where the man was spotted sporting the Roc-a-Fella chain, and driving a Chevy Camaro with the BlackRoc imprint on it. Now, for those of you in the know, BlackRoc is Damon Dash's new musical endeavor, and as seen in the above video, the Hot Spitta himself will be one of the headliners. His new album 'Pilot Talk' drops on May 18th, most likely with a pressing & distribution deal with Roc-a-Fella, much like the deal Drake has with Young Money. Honestly, I've been waiting for news like this for a minute. Curren$y is one of the best up-and-comers in the game right now. Hopefully this new venture will 'bring listeners underground like quicksand,' just like Spitta and Dame Dash are plotting...
