QuESt – “Broken Headphones” (Mixtape Review)
I'm guessing a fat chick sat on them?? I'd be pissed.
King Eljay - Let me make this clear from the beginning: I’d pay for music like this. I halfway wish this was a leaked album that was coming out on August 11th alongside SlaughterHouse, because I’d blow an easy 30 bucks buying music that day. EASILY.
I was vaguely familiar with QuESt (who’s name is a PAIN to spell by the way bEcAuSe Of ThIs cRaP) because of the Tag Records deal he had with Jermaine Dupri right as JD acquired what I’d like to call the “Golden Touch Of Doom,” which is basically the stage where producers realize that after being successful for a while, they can’t just put out the same stuff and expect to be successful. They have to evolve with the musical climate. It’s happened to Lil’ Jon, Scott Storch, Rockwilder, Neptunes, etc.
But I’m off subject.
Tag Records crashed, and JD basically all but abandoned ship, leaving QuESt (hate spelling that) all but screwed. Any other rapper might’ve stopped, but homie looks like he channeled it into music. And the result is something that sounds like a mix of Kanye and Lupe, but in a good way. With this free album (mixtape doesn’t describe this, this is more than that), QuESt might have himself a fanbase if this catches on.
The Good: I said it a little earlier. The struggles relayed on the tape has him sounding as thoughtful and lyrical as a eclectic mash-up of what you’d get if Lupe and Kanye West got together. Not a bad thing at all. The vibe of “Broken Headphones” is mega-mellow, and the whole thing chains together just about seamlessly.
The songs are well-crafted, the hooks actually are so well-thought out to the point that you might not even notice how catchy the melodies are, and how perfect it fits the content matter. I was impressed by that.
Quest…excuse me… QuESt’s (ugh) bar-game is above average as well. I will admit, at first his voice sounded like a direct rip-off of Lupe Fiasco, but I actually like QuESt’s flow BETTER now because of the way it seems like he rhymes effortlessly. AND ON TOPIC.
Take that, Lil’ Wayne.
The Bad: He does sound a lot like Lupe. I mean… A LOT like Lupe. Even some of his lyrics sound Lupe-ish. Some people won’t be able to get over that fact to notice the thought in what he’s saying.
Yes…the Asher Roth/Eminem compound is in effect unfortunately…
Because of the vibe of the mixtape, a few people have told me they forget which song is which because most of them sound alike. I personally didn’t think that it sounded all alike, but that is a legitimate concern that I have to mention. I’d be wrong not to.
The introduction is ok, but it goes on for WAY too long and sounds forced. The intro to the thing almost made me not want to listen to it, because It didn’t sound like a natural monologue…but I’m a writer, and I nitpick. Maybe I’m just tripping on that one…
I am not tripping however when I say that some of the songs took too long to start. I understand making it sound dramatic, but every single song doesn’t need the long wind-up. It got a little annoying after a while.
The Interesting: I like the fact that QuESt has punchlines, but CHOSE to stay on topic and go all in on whatever he was talking about at the time. You can tell he has lines on the outro song (“See What I See”) when he goes into something like a mini-rant during the second verse…
QuESt is up on the current music scene too. From name-dropping/shouting out Drake with a “So Far Gone” reference, to J. Cole’s semi-signature quote “Cold world, no blanket”, it’s nice to see that QuESt acknowledges good artists around him instead of being stuck on himself.
Also, check out the track “Nothing’s Real.” He addresses the Jermaine Dupri/Tag Records situation as direct as possible.
Bottom Line: I said this earlier, but I’d willingly pay for music like this. This is dope music, and the positive outweighs the missteps on the mixtape by far. This was surprisingly good to me, and I’m hoping that this platforms him to where he’s trying to go.
Good job QuESt. You got one. Now stop spelling your name like a retard. Relax..I’m joking…
…kind of…
—–> Final Rating: 3.9 / 5 <—–
My Favorites:
- Forever (feat. Outasight)
- Nothing’s Real
- She’s Wrong
- See What I See
