Don Flair (New Era Click) – God’s Plan (Datpiff)
Longtime supporter of all things Richmond and man of frequent Facebook musings, Don Flair of the New Era Click, has at last released his project, titled God’s Plan. Like a plan from the Lord of Lords, there’s a little something in here for each of us throughout the 16 tracks provided.
Don Flair (New Era Click) – God’s Plan (Datpiff)
Longtime supporter of all things Richmond and man of frequent Facebook musings, Don Flair of the New Era Click, has at last released his project, titled God’s Plan. Like a plan from the Lord of Lords, there’s a little something in here for each of us throughout the 16 tracks provided. I would describe Don’s delivery as a mix of 2 of my favorite No Limit soldiers in their glory days, Silkk The Shocker and C-Murder. That being said, this project touches on many sub-genres in Hip-Hop. Are you a “twerker?” Look no further than “Until The Club Ends” featuring J Roddy Rod, Chanz, & Chop. You like the hard, street stuff? Check out “The Anthem” Featuring B Double E & DP Da Prophet. Or better yet, how about some content? Something that talks about things in life beyond the usual “money, women, in da club, I got it, I’m getting money” stuff: “Polaroids N Flashbacks,” “Your Song (Mama),” or what I feel was the best record on here, “Assassination of Success” featuring Pook, B Double E & Mealz, on which everyone really comes from the heart to hit you with some thought provoking lyrics. On the downside, this project could have been mixed better. I would have liked to see some of the content-heavy tracks moved up, as there seems to be a grouping of tracks throughout the project that could prevent someone from listening to all the way through, and some of the concept tracks like “Loverman” leave you wondering where the third verse is at. I would have liked to see less features too, though he did pull some talented women, including Lela Bizz, Cakes, and Miss Avanta, which was really cool and shows that Don Flair is all about working with people. The bottom line is this: if you don’t like a track on this project, skip it, because eventually you’ll find something on here you can relate to. And that might bring you back later, to hear what else Don Flair has to offer.
Duce & El Chapo – Lucky (EP) (Soundcloud)
20 minutes. That’s all Duce & El Chapo want from you. Lucky is a 6 track EP that succeeds in some areas by fusing several moments in Hip-Hop, but also falls short because of the very things which it fuses together. The production is for the most part a well constructed, two-sided coin. On one side, you have the kind of chopped up, bass-heavy stuff we heard from Three 6 Mafia in the good ol’ days of Mystic Stylez. The aptly titled “Mystic Wayz” is a fine example of this, as well as the EP’s highlight, “Indebted.” The other side is somewhat spacey, with “TheDriveThru,” “Max Payne,” and “World War” leaving you to scratch your head at times. The remaining track, which is another highlight, “Wacko,” falls somewhere in-between, and features most prominently the other element these guys have somehow managed to fuse into this EP: a Camp Lo-esque back-n-forth lyrical exchange that keeps you wondering what it is these guys are talking about, yet understanding at the same time. Observe: Duce: “Women love it how I bend backwards to get access to my girls attachments/she love me dammit.” El Chapo: “Sleeping on the sofa/smacked the ho/look like she tackled/I keep the peace and be relaxed…/I need 6 g’z and snacks.. I led the league in scheming/6 seasons back…” Never mind that there is no numerical order to the tracks, no real explanation why this project is called Lucky, or for the odd cover, for that matter. As it has been said, “With mystery comes intrigue…” and this project is no exception to the rule. Lucky you.
