JustRecognize Rating: 7.8
In this review, I’m going to parallel two mainstream albums from artists who started off at very similar stages in their career, & how one approach overwhelmingly withstands the other. These two artists are practically brothers, even, & are now finally starting to get the critical acclaim they’ve been longing for. Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y have been labeled the top two weed rappers to successfully market their fiendish love for the sticky green since Method Man & Redman. As much as you can hype up how classic a mixtape like Kush & OJ was, honestly, Wiz would be where Spitta is today (maybe slightly ahead) if it wasn’t for his good fortune on his hit single Black & Yellow last year. What does he give us to repay his fans for supporting his grind & having true Taylors put up with the obnoxious bandwagon fans yelling “No keys, push to start!” as they rev up their electric Prius’s? Rolling Papers, the top sellout album of the year, & I’m not talking about charts or sales. Since then, he’s remedied his past transgressions with several solid releases, & all has been forgiven. But now we find Spitta, our Co-Pilot aboard the How Fly Boyz airline, in the same position Wiz was in last year. This is how he handled things.
Earlier last year, Curren$y got his first big break in the rap game after what seems like eons of self-promotion, independent records, & marketing schemes that have given him the veracity of being the most ‘true-to-himself’ rapper I’ve ever come across. With the signing of a big-name label like Warner, Spitta has to stare straight in the face of what seems like a bottomless abyss, the cataclysmic cascade that is mainstream success. Now, what Spitta had understood from their initial deal with Lyor Cohen of WMG was that they want to capture what Spitta’s been doing all along, just make it more marketable. I don’t know how smart Curren$y is financially, but being that he’s had fallouts with Weezy, animosity towars Terry Kennedy for stealing his Fly Society label & is more recently suing Dame Dash for releasing material that he had no authority in doing so, I’d say he gets into hot water easily when it comes to paperwork. Hearing this, you might feel that a major label like Warner just wants Spitta as their puppet, to rap aimlessly over beats that he is too high to even notice are not his usual style, but whatever he seems to be smoking has kept his head well on his shoulders, music wise at least.
Spitta has always had a knack for choosing beats that fit his New Orleans demeanor, & his elevator music-esque beats have been the foreground to his unique flows & melodies. Being that his father was a Jazz musician, it’s safe to say that Spitta has had this keen sense for mellifluous blues beats running through his blood since his conception. On The Stoned Immaculate, that remains a prominent element in the Jet Pilot’s cockpit. The zonked & sedated production value is truly made more marketable with major features from artists like 2 Chainz, Estelle, Wale & Pharrell, but again he stays true to himself by fucking with the artists’ that have been grinding with Jet Life Records since the Monthly Mixtape era. With two solid features from Wiz, a Smoke DZA appearance, a hook as well as features from his two JetSons TradeMark & Young Roddy, & a superb overall track from Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y keeps it homegrown, as always. AS ALWAYS… If you’re not about the Jet Life, chances are you probably never will be, & that’s perfectly okay. The Jet Life isn’t for everybody, but those of us enjoying every day life gives us & carrying this mentality on till the next life, this album is going to suit your summer’s itinerary beautifully. If you get the chance to, go buy this album through Cricket or Spotify, because those two bonus tracks not offered in the iTunes version are well worth it. Either way, this is definitely one album you would want to drop some dimes down for. Spitta deserves it.
P.S. Here’s another note to those of you who follow Spitta, this is his grind mapped out for you so you don’t get him confused. When it comes to mixtapes, you’ll see his laissez-faire rap style come out of him, & he won’t be afraid to rap on tough beats & even throw a pair of bars over samples of some of his favorite songs. That’s when you get a sound like Covert Coupe & Verde Terrace, there’s a different sense to his music altogether in his mixtapes. On Albums, (Pilot Talk I & II, Weekend At Burnie’s & The Stoned Immaculate) you’ll notice his stress for that smooth and sweet production style that’s perfect for his calmative flows rather than experimenting with stronger demeanors that, although fitting, aren’t his area of comfort. Just a little heads up for when you listen to his albums so you can differentiate his projects.
Listen: Armoire (feat. Young Roddy & Trademark)
This track is my absolute favorite off the entire project. Armoire is now the coolest word ever used in rap history.
I’m talkin’ pounds in the fridge, hundred stacks in the armoire. Constant reminders of what the fuck I grind for…
Listen: Capitol (feat. 2 Chainz)
This is the first time I’ve heard Tity Boi on a beat that isn’t a Turnt Up ATL trap song & more of a laidback track. Either way, both artists shine and stay capitol G apostrophe d. I love the way they took Wiz’s “doin’ it like I’m doing it for TV” saying from The Kid Frankie & made it their own on this song.
Listen: Sunroof (feat. Corner Boy P)
This is a straight up Jet track. This is where you see Spitta keep it real grinding alongside up & coming JetSon Corner Boy P.
This album is filled with lengthier tracks than most of Spitta’s one and a half to two minute usual in & out tracks, & this 5 minute gem is proof that progression is a beautiful thing. The sample is very similar to the track off of Verde Terrace, Job, which is also the same sample from Taylor Allderdice entitled Amber Ice. Whether they’re the same sample or not, all these tracks are what the Jet Life is all about.
Listen: Jet Life (feat. Big K.R.I.T. & Wiz Khalifa)
This is all in all a great collab. The last time these three did a track together was Glass House (Kush & OJ, Krit Wuz Here), & since then these fly guys have kept repping their sets & accumulating paper to the ceiling.
