T-Pain Presents: Nappy Boy All Stars Vol. 1 (Mixtape Review)

Regardless of what you think of HIM personally, he has fun doing music. You can just tell. That's a good look.

Looks like T-Pain’s been making moves quietly, assembling him a squad that could do some considerable damage as far as record sales within the next couple of years. The All-Star Squad (according to T-Pain at least) consists of Young Ca$h, Sophia Fresh, Travis McCoy (of Gym Class Heroes), Tay Dizm, One Chance, and newly recruited female lyrical monster Shawnna.

If you’re thinking that Shawnna’s with DTP, you’d be incorrect. Turns out, something happened and now she’s with the Nappy Boy umbrella. The interesting thing about this mixtape is that on a couple of songs, Shawnna seems to take a couple of really slick shots at her former labelmate/boss with lines like “Yeah, them hatin *ss n*ggas threw a curve ball… but I threw it right back” followed by a laugh that sounds EXTREMELY SIMILAR to the way Ludacris laughed in his song “Everybody With Me” that was on HIS Conjure Cognac mixtape that I actually reviewed earlier.

Not to mention in the intro song she says “Now I’m down with Nappy Boy, nah I ain’t with ‘dude’ and them / Oops, wait a minute, I hope you ain’t offended…”

HMMM…

REGARDLESS of the story right there, this mixtape will give you a feel for what talent (or lack of) T-Pain has assembled. Travis McCoy and Shawnna seems to be the purest hope for hip-hop out of the group, Sophia Fresh is catering to the women/club songs that are the thing on the radio, and T-Pain is (of course) STILL on his Jack-of-all-trades grind.

I shouldn’t be surprised, but Pain is a better rapper than singer. Every song he’s featured rapping on, he completely kills. ESPECIALLY The One Chance track “Get Off Me”. His punchlines on that particular song was just hilariously animated and clever (“They say P’s been havin’ a ball, you’d think I’d have the same logo as the Pacers”).

Solidly mixed and blended, ad surprisingly cosigned by Adult Swim (seriously), if you’re interested in any of it, check out the mixtape. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be, and it’ll give you a feel for the stable of artists that Pain’s got coming soon…whether you like it or not…

Eljay’s Favorites

• “Left Hand Girl” (T-Pain and Travis McCoy)
• “Forever” NB Remix (T-Pain and Young Ca$h)
• “Get Off Me” (One Chance and T-Pain) (note: T-PAIN’S KILLED HIS VERSE…)
• “Nappy Boy” (Shawnna and T-Pain)

(Click Here To Download The Mixtape)

Just in case you thought I was misguided about the cosign...check the bottom... IS THAT AN ADULT SWIM LOGO??? Yes. Told you.