2009 has been the year of the dope mixtape, with hip-hop's Freshman Class dropping heaters in anticipation of their major label releases. While Young Chris has been in the game since 2001, he's jump started his career as a solo artist and has been making noise as of late. Last night, he dropped "The Network," a solid mixtape hosted by Don Cannon.
The good news first. I've been following Young Chris since he was a member of State Property and it's refreshing to see how he's matured as an artist and he feels no pressure to fit the mold of the hard-voiced Philly spitter. Chris wants you to know that he's smooth and he balances this cool demeanor with just enough aggression to occasionally lay some fire on a track. Chris is at his best when rhyming alongside his State Prop brethren on "The Network." Stand out tracks include "Free Peedi," "Last 2" and "Hot Shyt" (which also appeared on Wale's "Back to the Feature"), all featuring guest slots from Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Crack and up and coming Philly representer Tu Phace.
The bad news is that many of the tracks where Chris goes for dolo are forgettable. It's almost as if he needs talented counterparts to push his pen. Another negative of this mixtape is the amount of lackluster "chick songs." Chris makes three attempts to woo the ladies on "The Network," and despite a few lines that appealed to my carnal feminine instincts, none of them really get the job done. The most effective of these songs being the Raheem Devaughn assisted "Want to Love You," where Raheem steals the show.
Overall, "The Network" is a pretty solid release. Due to the high quality of recent mixtapes, I fear this one may get lost in the summer shuffle. Nonetheless, it's definitely worth a download.
Download Young Chris - "The Network" Here.
Robin Monique a.k.a. Mrs. Hip-Hop
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