Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
DJ Illipse releases his latest mixtape, "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Mixtape".
The intro sets off. A really grimy and nice beat sets off but quickly gets shifted around for another, and yet another. The impression leaves a little scattered image in my mind and the transitions aren't that smooth either. Some of the mixes are really off key.
But once the intro is done and the tracks sets off it gets a little clearer and more unified. The beats are grimy and on point, but a little muddy at points. The mix ain't the best I've heard but a nice underground style is still conveyed through my speakers.
This mixtape consists of rappers like Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, Killer Mike, Black Star and others remixed by DJ Illipse on the beats. The tracks are good and the flow is of course world class since some of the worlds most acclaimed rappers are featured on this project. Since that is the fact I set myself into the path of reviewing the beats and mixes solely.
This is a very extensive mixtape with its 25 tracks, and the tracks are fused together with finesse and subtlety. The transitions between tracks are actually really nice. The beats are also nice and grimy but it ain't all big of a spectrum that DJ Illipse lets loose.
The beats are mostly straight forward rhythmic and thumping. They are good and well composed, no doubt about that, but it ain't that much news that is brought.
The beats have nice variations like breaks, bits and twists to make them interesting and fresh. I just wish the spectrum and style would have been a little wider.
Some tracks stand out and make my head bob a little extra. Track #5 "J.Gunn - When The Music Stops" is really nice and laidback with nice composition and a slightly melancholic beat. This is really good. Track #11 "O.C. - Phenomenon" is also a track to be counted. A nice brass orchestra brings a nice vibe in my left speaker while the main instrumentation that I can only describe as a toy piano sets off a really nice melody. And it's all fused together really nice by strings. This is real heat. What can I say? "Something like a phenomenon". Track #13 "Sin - Keep It Live" is also really nice with sped up vocal samples over rapper Sin's miraculous flow. The use of sped up samples usually makes me want to turn the track off because I think it's so overused and overrated. But this works really well and gives the beat a nice soft vibe and an almost serene sound.
The overall impression I get from listening to DJ Illipse's mixtape is that it is a nice, well made mixtape that should go well on every house party and in every car. The beats have some problems as I see it. The main problem is the mix, it's a little muddy and dark. The beats are a little too similar when it comes to composition and style. Of course a red thread should go through every good album/mixtape but DJ Illipse could have taken some more chances on some of the tracks, taking them to that next level.
My grade on the "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Mixtape" is 3 out of 5. A little better mix is needed for me to lift the grade higher. The mixtape has some real jewels and jems that are really nice and head bobbing but that little extra that those tracks bring, I want to hear more of all over the mixtape.