PropaYne – “Ode to Ye” (Mixtape Review)

PropaYne should've dressed up as the Kanye Bear. That would've been dope. Well, maybe next time.

The ideas separately are ingenious. On one end, you have the Vitamin String Quartet remixing assorted Kanye West productions with string instrumentals. On the other end, you have this young, lyrically gifted MC. Put them together, and in theory, you have a knockout of a project in the making right? Well, PropaYne’s prepared a nice mixtape/EP to honor one of his favorite rappers and to announce that he does this way better than some people might give him credit for.

Myself included.

The Good:

There is something soothing about the sound of the Vitamin String Quartet remixing these instrumentals (to the point that if you have the chance to get it, I’d highly recommend it), but it’s even more amazing how confident Pro is when he raps over each one.  The lyrical content is there, and it’s more interesting because of how takes on what he calls a “first person narrative” to allow him to be himself in his lyrics, whether that was politically correct or not. All jokes aside, you learn a lot about PropaYne in a little amount of time, which is always a good thing if it’s pulled off correctly. Lucky for us, he pulls this off without never sacrificing lyrics or confidence.

There’s also times where he’d finish his rhymes and just let the instrumental ride…which I’ve always personally been a fan of on songs.

The Bad:

There’s a couple of spots on the EP that contains him singing, and it’s not exactly his strong point. I’m hoping in the future if he decides to sing, he harmonizes more instead of taking lead, lol. The EP is also only 7 songs, and it somehow seems even shorter than that. However, there’s nothing else that can hold this project at fault besides the fact that there is a little profanity on the EP, but nothing unlike the other projects I’ve reviewed. I’m interested to see what he would do with the other songs he didn’t use (Gold Digger, etc)…

Bottom Line:

This is a project that does give its “Ode” to Ye, but simultaneously it’s one of those eye-opening moments for those who’ve listened to PropaYne’s music, and for those who haven’t heard of him. If you’re familiar with him, you’re going to realize that he’s doing nothing but getting better and is lightyears ahead of other rappers in his age bracket (under 18…!). If this is your first time listening, I think you’ll find yourself surprised at the quality of the sound and the lyrics, as well as the confidence.

You should check this out.

Eljay’s Favorites:

• Playa (All Falls Down)
• Man (Touch The Sky)
• Heard ‘Em Tell Me (Heard Em Say)
• Stronger feat. JEllis

Download PropaYne’s “Ode To Ye” here