Kal-J – “The 4Word” (Mixtape Review)
"The 4Word" might not feel like a full-fledged mixtape because of it's short length, but it's still more solid and well-rounded than a lot of mixtapes out right now.
Naptown Hip Hop…
One place that isn’t exactly known for its hip-hop prowess (for now) is Indianapolis, IN. I lived there for high school, and there were always local cats there that wanted to rap, but I had never heard nothing that made me legitimately see anyone as marketable or even as that dope of a rapper until about a year or two ago, when I heard of the Wiz Kids and Kal-J.
Kal-J recently dropped a nice 10-track mixtape entitled “The 4Word”, hosted by DJ Ames (oversea DJs, for the win) which is actually better than I expected it to be. Each song shows some type of lyrical prowess, and Kal-J’s flow is solid throughout the whole mixtape. Each song for the most part has a different angle too, especially the cut “Am I Dreaming”, in which he decides to go off the deep end and journal about some of the crazier things he had “seen.”
That last song I mentioned actually shows off how talented he is too, because I follow him on Twitter, and I told him about that particular instrumental (which is Joe Budden’s “Exxes”), and he literally wrote the song in less than an hour and a half. Never heard Budden’s version, and made the song his own. Legit pen skills…check…
Also, you can tell he’s a low-key nerd (like me) with the multiple sports and video game references (“I’m Tom Brady…you Brady Quinn”; “You need a strategy guide to see how to damage me”), and his punchlines are well timed and tied together.
Although the mixtape is short with 10 tracks, it’s DEFINITELY worth a listen. Short, sweet, and to the point, it’s a solid listen with a few tracks that might make it into normal iPod rotation if you let it… Check it out. Seriously.
Click Here To Download “The 4Word”
Eljay’s Favorites
- “Wanna Win”
- “Am I Dreaming”
- “To Be Continued”
