Big Gucci Sosa, the anticipated mixtape from two of hip-hop's most notorious and controversial artists, Gucci Mane and Chief Keef, is phenomenal. Gucci Mane and Chief Keef tag team each track with ease, rapping about trapping and other street activities. You know what to expect from these two artists, and this collaborative effort delivers.
The two are savage, and they let you know. These are guys who love to count paper, as "Paper" clearly illustrates. Yet Gucci also takes time to reminisce about his school days on "First Day of School." Keef jumps on the track towards the end, admitting that the song "go crazy." Over the 12 songs, Gucci delivers his usual quirky, catchy flow and hooks. Keef stands out here as his lyrical content becomes more wordy than choppy, as he pauses before delivering the next bar. Keef flows through the songs with ease and even displays wordplay in a few cuts on the project. If one loves detailed trap stories about flexing and finessing, the project is a must.
Similar in outlook to its counterpart, Chief Keef's Back from the Dead 2 dropped on Halloween as well. Again, BFTD2 showcases an evolved Chief Keef. Out of 20 tracks, he produced 16, with drill pioneer Young Chop relegated to just two songs. His beats are basic, but well put together for someone who decided to start producing all of a sudden. Keef uses enunciations, ad-libs, laughter and an unorthodox way of rhyming to create a different type of sound. That's has always been a part of his allure.
Shock value was also a big part of Keef's initial success, and his antics about gang-banging and shooting are becoming less shocking. Things may have started to become a bit stale for Keef…and perhaps his label. Having been recently released from Interscope Records, this is the 19 year old's first independent solo mixtape. Still, he seems to be having fun and saying what he likes with no concern. As the follow-up to his breakthrough Back from the Dead, however, it lacks that mixtape's heavy hitters like "I Don't Like," "3Hunna"… and the list goes on. On the sequel's "Wayne," Keef pays homage to the Cash Money empire that was so influential in his aspirations. It's now up to the listeners to determine whether Keef will have the same impact or not.—Jordan Berry