darkshadowdog

The Stoned Immaculate-Curren$y (2012) 6.5/10
(Hip Hop/Rap)

I’ve been a big fan of Curren$y for a while now (ever since the release of Pilot Talk). I really enjoy his lyrical style and his willingness not to have an easy hook in every track (as much popular/mainstream hip hop does today). I somehow missed the release of this album a couple months ago and just recently stumbled upon it while browsing Spotify, time to give it a listen!
Cover art: Very minimalistic theater scene, really dig the font, it seems like he’s going for a retro, Shaft/Boogie Nights kind of thing with it. Cool but not particularly attention grabbing. 6.5/10

Track 1: What It Look Like –feat. Wale 8/10
So first of all, I love Wale, I really think that he is going to be the next artist to blow up and get really popular in the mainstream and otherwise (not that he isn’t now but I’m talking Kanye/Jay Z big). That being said I was a little bit surprised to hear Wale start off this Curren$y album almost all by himself; although the Curren$y verses at the end of the track are pretty dope Wale really kills it on this song. Wale always seems to shine on these laid back, chiller beats and this is no exception, I always enjoy his out there references such as “Money got me pulling strings/I got that Gippeto flow”. Good starting track but if I didn’t know better I’d think I was about to hear a Wale album.

Track 2: Privacy Glass 5/10
This track starts off with some spacey drums and then quickly breaks down to another laid back, stoner beat. Then Curren$y jumps (maybe leans is a better verb) on the track crooning “One time for the weed…” in his usual stoned out of his mind voice. And that’s what this track is, another song about riding in the back of cars with the windows tinted up, rolled up halfway, the weed smoke drifting out. Now, it’s not like we all haven’t heard a track like this before but that being said this one does have a really nice, laid back feel to it. Sadly I’m not particularly impressed by the flow on this one, it’s almost a bit too lazy sounding (even if that’s blasphemous to say about any Curren$y track).

Track 3: Armoire-feat. Young Roddy & Trademark 5/10
I love this beat; some laid back almost violin-like synths with a pounding, heartbeat base behind it, great stuff. That being said the track is pretty average, early on we get the line from Young Roddy “Pounds in the fridge/Hundred stacks in the armoire/Constant reminders of what the f*** I grind for” and that more or less defines the track, it’s about shining, money and cars, nothing really special here. If not for the awesome beat I would have rated this track around 2-2.5 lower.

Track 4: Take You There –feat. Marsha Ambrosius 9/10
I’m really diggin’ on this track, made me want to roll up another one right away. Very classic sounding Curren$y, definitely took me back to some of the better tracks from Pilot Talk. Marsha Ambrosius’s vocals are amazing, perfect for the song; at first listen they reminded me a little bit of the backing vocals off of Empire State of Mind. Curren$y really comes back into his own on this one, doing some really lyrical, really interesting stuff, in his own words:
“Trying to get chosen/flown to an exotic destination/smoking on something as strong as my vivid imagination”

Track 5: Showroom 8/10
This is definitely another good one, at first glance it seems like another track where Curren$y brags about all the money he’s making and all the stuff he’s got but at its heart it’s actually extremely humble. A lot of what he’s talking about is the stuff he can’t do yet, and how doesn’t have it all yet. This all comes together to form a surprisingly personal, lyrical flow on top of another great laid back beat.

Track 6: Capitol –feat 2 Chainz 6.5/10
This track reminds me a lot of Armoire (track 3) but all the flows are admittedly tons better. Not only does Curren$y do a much better job on this track but 2 Chainz blows Young Roddy and Trademark way out of the water. Still kind of just another track about shinin’ and nothing too original or special but at least it’s done right.

Track 7: No Squares –feat. Wiz Khalifa 6.5/10
Curren$y once again spits great lyrical flow on this track, I literally laughed out loud when he said “I chase that money down like I think it took my wallet” however Wiz Khalifa has always been a bit hit or miss for me and this is without a doubt a miss. If you cut this track down two minutes and removed Wiz’s flow it would be one of the best on the album, as is it is only average.

Track 8: Sunroof –feat. Corner Boy P 7/10
I LOVE this beat, without a doubt my favorite so far on the album, very unique and original. The flows are only slightly above average but there’s a decent hook/chorus and overall the track sounds great.

Track 9: Chasin’ Papers –feat. Pharrell 6.5/10
Once again, another great, unique beat with some awesome backing vocals and a killer hook. Pharrell is pretty decent although sometimes I kind of squint a little bit at some of his flows, it’s almost like they don’t really work but he’s forcing them to anyway, like:
“Lane switching with the top down/like a house where a tornado hit it”
Still a decent track though, once again the whole thing just sounds great, perfect to cruise to.

Track 10: That’s The Thing –feat Estelle 6.5/10
Once again, a great beat under a decent little romance track, nothing special but the beat is boss and Estelle’s vocals are superb, she really makes this track better.

Track 11: Chandelier 7/10
This track is very similar to the last one but the flows are much more lyrical and much more real. Good stuff. Nice little hook as well.
Track 12: Fast Cars Faster Women –feat. Daz 6/10
Alright track, Daz is pretty decent, the beat is alright. Nothing too special here though.

Track 13: Jet Life –feat. Big K.R.I.T. & Wiz Khalifa 4/10
This track reminded me right away of This Plane (by Wiz Khalifa off of Deal or No Deal), a little too much actually, especially the hook. So yea...The whole track is a bit of a knock off… I’m really not too impressed with this one; the chorus is also pretty irritating. A very disappointing finale without a doubt.

Track 14: Audio Dope 3- Bonus Track 6.5/10
This one comes with a great little Curren$y flow, short track but filled with good stuff ala “My b**ch cook every night but I rap like I’m starving.”

Track 15: One More Time –Bonus Track 7.5/10
Awesome beat, classic Curren$y flow, this track could have easily replaced any of the lesser one’s on the main album… I really don’t understand why this was relegated to the bonus tracks.

Track 16: J.L.R. –feat. Young Roddy & Smoke DZA [Bonus Track] 7/10
Another superb beat, really love this one. Catchy flows as well, another really great sounding track overall.

Track 17: Off That –feat. Sir Michael Rocks [Bonus Track] 7/10
Once again, another great beat here, also another pretty catchy hook. Some decent flows here too but this one is mostly about the sound, and it sounds good.

Overall: First of all, I really love the production on this album. Every single beat is at least above average (even on the worst tracks of the album) and some, such as Take You There and Sunroof are instant classics. That being said if I could just rate this albums production alone I’d give it a 9-9.5, however when we start listening to the flows that changes a bit. Basically this album reinforces something that most of us already knew; when Curren$y is on it, he’s really on it and he can spit more lyrically and precisely than anyone in the game right now, but he’s not always on it. Another downside to this album is that aside from Wale (and one of the flows from Wiz Khalifa) I really was not impressed by the guest rappers featured here. All this being said, I still consider this an above average hip hop album, if it was pruned a ton and cut down to some kind of short EP style offering with six or seven tracks it’d be great but as is there’s just really a lot of filler. So, Curren$y fans; go get this one right away, you won’t be disappointed. For everyone else, listen to a few tracks before you decide to commit to the whole thing.