Waka Flocka Flame - Interlude (Mixtape, 2013)

Waka’s career has been in a strange place these last couple years. He tried crossing over with Triple F Life - a move that worked even if none of his own singles charted, as the “Scream & Shout” remix has cemented Flocka’s place amongst the pop world. He appeared on a song with Kaskade and The Cataracs, and now he claims he’s working on an electro album. He’s released a series of mixtapes that are almost indistinguishable from one another since Slim Dunkin passed, and I didn’t have any hopes for Flocka after his recent exodus from Gucci’s Brick Squad.

Yet, here on Flocka’s Duflocka Rant: Halftime Show, he releases arguably one of his most reflective projects, rapping over everything from jazz to The-Dream samples, fully realizing the potential that the Intro and Outro from Triple F Life hinted at. The tape has seemingly dropped with little fanfare - Gucci’s Chief Keef assisted single from Trap House 3 has gotten more attention, and it deserves all its gotten, but Halftime Show is the best thing Flocka’s done since, at least, Lebron Flocka James 3. It’s not a return to form, per se, as it’s more of a dramatic departure from Flocka’s traditional sound. Waka’s flow no longer consists of the primal screams of his last couple tapes - a sound that started off very interesting, but turned into a crutch lately. Instead, Waka reels it in to bring life to the real drama that’s surrounded him this past year and a half, a time which has arguably been the most important transitional period of his career whether it’s been creatively productive or not.

With Halftime Show, it seems that Flocka is finally starting to figure out what he wants to do with the second phase of his career - just in time, considering Flockaveli 2 is still scheduled for release sometime this year. Though some of his hardcore fanbase maybe upset with features from Avery Storm and the absence of the aggro style Flocka popularized, Duflocka Rant: Halftime Show still deserves to be celebrated for Flocka’s return from creative purgatory. 

Riff Raff - Versace Lies (Mixtape, 2012)

Jody Highroller’s long-delayed collaborative mixtape with Dame Grease, the producer who crafted some of the best New York  rap records of the last twenty years with everyone from DMX to Max B, has finally dropped. Hologram Panda maybe the most focused full-body of work Riff’s ever done, and songs like the above track (which employs a Manson-esque hook), as well as mixtape standout “Peppermint Tint”, find Riff exploring new sounds while still keeping his trademark absurdity. Download Hologram Panda here