Curren$y – Pilot Talk Review
Pilot Talk is the latest project from Curren$y. There was a time I would not check for this guy at all – wasn’t feeling him. The past 2 years though he has dropped some great music. You can always count on him to drop a great mixtape, or a good single.
This is going to be my first look at the new album, my very first skim through it so don’t expect a full review. These are just my first impressions. Some songs will grow on me, some won’t stand up to repeated listens. So don’t cry too hard if I don’t like your favorite songs.
1. Example – Love the beat as it starts, some cool guitar licks but the beat is real laid back. Curren$y has a laid back flow that I like – dude is kind of like the new Devin the Dude…with better beats these days.
2. Audio Dope II – This beat starts off a bit weird, but falls into something pretty cool. I think there are some distorted steel drums. I hope people can get over his laid back flow because he is really improving as a rapper. This beat reminds me of some boomb bap actually…not fully but it def has some elements of that 90′s NY sound.
3. King Kong – A more current beat for sure – that spaced out stuff “the kids love”. This just in – Curren$y likes weed. If you like the new generation of production (and I do) you should be feeling this. The hook plays off the famous Denzel King Kong line.
4. Seat Change feat. Snoop - I can tell this might be a track I skip a bit. It is OK but the beat seems a bit too laid back. I like it as of now though and it is growing on me as I listen to the song. I am a sucker for Snoop tho so I am cool with his verse.
5. Breakfast – Guess what Curren$y likes for breakfast…weed! Another beat I am not feeling that much – I like it but it doesn’t stand out. A bit cheesy to be honest – Curren$y is doing his thing though. Love the start of his verse. As I listen it begins to grow on me but more due to Curren$y than the beat.
6. Roasted – I love this beat so far though. Is MonstaBeatz a Ski Beats protege, or another name for him? I just ask because Ski produces most of this, but Monstabeatz handles this track. I like the laid back beat with the horns and synths here better than the ones with the guitar samples. Personal preference.
7. Skybourne feat. Smoke DZA & Big KRIT – I gotta give credit to Ski Beatz he is definitely making this a cohesive album. Real laid back beats that really work for Curren$y. Smoke DZA kind of bores me…but Big KRIT does his thing.
8. The Hangover - More laid back beats which really makes sense considering the subject matter. Sometimes the album kind of slips into lounge music territory to me. I think maybe breaking up the album with more tracks like Audio Dope II would have been a good move. I like these beats, but I dunno if they will have much replay value…hope I am wrong.
9. The Day feat. Mos Def and Jay Elec - Really shows you the respect Curren$y has now to get a couple dudes like this on his track. This beat really wakes me up too – just what I was thinking of in the comments of my last song. Jay Elec kills this of course…when doesn’t he?
10. Prioritize – Not a bad beat, I didn’t like it at first but both MCs flow really well on it – by the end of the song I was feeling the beat. I think a song like this will stand up to repeated spins. We’ll see.
11. Chilled Coughee feat. Devin The Dude - I am a huge Devin The Dude fan and am appalled at his recent albums. They have really lacked any good production. It is too bad because his first 3 albums are personal classics to me. I bring that up because for some damn reason he is on the worst produced song on the album. Gah, I don’t know what is going on. Not feeling this beat.
12. Address - I am feeling this. This is the beat he should have got Devin on. Much more current sounding. Laid back again but that is Curren$ys style. Dude has really improved as an MC. This is one of my fav tracks.
13. Life Under The Scope - I dunno – good beat I guess. Curren$y sounds great on it, the beat definitely grows on me as the song goes. If you like this laid back style, you should love this album.
I am on a pretty good streak of LOVING the recent albums I review. That streak ends now. I definitely like this album and can respect Curren$y’s continued growth as a rapper. There has just been so much great music lately that this doesn’t really stand out to me. In fact there has been a similar album released this year that is a significantly better version of this: Wiz’s Kush and Orange Juice.
I will still be checking for Curren$y and I am sure I will give this some more spins. Maybe it will grow on me. It is certainly solid, just happened to drop at a time when some truly great music has been in my rotation. I think an album like this works great when you are sitting back and relaxing. Maybe listening to it at 8 in the morning effected my enjoyment.