S-Preme – The Sicktape: Volume 2 (Mixtape Review)
Dope. The artist even got the Jheri Curl juice to go with the pic. That's talent...
So I’ve been hearing things about “The Sicktape Vol. 2″ for a while. Rhymestyle’s been bragging about the mixtape, and I’ve had a side ear to S-Preme more than I’ve let on, especially after I heard the song “Radio” a few months back during a podcast of theirs…
…Which by the way, J. Ellis had one of the funniest call-in skits EVER on a live podcast. Whenever someone goes into a full OJ Da Juiceman impression on the spot, I cannot help but to laugh. But that had nothing to do with the review.
Anyway, I got the mixtape a couple of days early, and I’ve purposely NOT told Rhymestyle my opinion of this because I have to be unbiased to write reviews. It’s no fun listening to someone jocking an artist. That’s why I don’t listen to Funkmaster Flex ever.
No diss.
The Good: I love originality, and that’s the first thing you notice about S-Preme. There’s not really anybody like him from where he’s from (Chicago), so that’s always a plus. The mixtape/album has a great flow to it, and it’s extremely entertaining without taking away from the music. The skits are funny, and there’s a point to every song…
That means there’s SUBSTANCE HERE, people.
From reflecting on the big What-If’s of his career (“Glass Ceiling”) to kinda sorta maybe making a dance song for the radio (“Etch A Sketch”), to acknowledging his uniqueness (“The Weird One”) to finding his old rhymebook (“Future Me”), there’s definitely some sort of substance arguably for every song.
By the way, that’s just off the first half of the mixtape.
The Bad: As usual in most mixtapes, there are a few lulls in the action to keep it from flowing to its potential. I wasn’t a big fan of “Swagger Change” just because compared to the other subject matter, it was kind of weak. And some people just won’t like the general sound of the mixtape. I say their loss, but it is what it is.
Sometimes, his flow is on point, and sometimes it’s just average. This is just a personal nitpick, because it’s not really a big problem. I almost want to say it’s an acquired taste-type flow, like Common and Kanye have (BUT NOT SIMILAR TO THEM, just unique). Ironically, all three are from Chicago, so maybe that works for his benefit more than his hindrance…
Bottom Line: Overall I thought the Sicktape 2 was on point. It’s a nice step onto becoming more relevant. If he remains this way and don’t try to change into someone else (I didn’t say he couldn’t evolve, evolution is good in music) then it’s a matter of time before see him breaking through that glass ceiling he mentioned at the beginning. Check this out.
