V Playlist: Chris Brown x Problem, PJ Morton x Stevie Wonder, Joey Bada$$ And More
VIBE's Weekend Additions to the 'Pod
1. Chris Brown (feat. Problem) – "Let The Blunt Go"
Breezy "the rapper" comes out on this one. Lyrically, don't expect to be impressed by his MC skills—it's filled with boastfully explicit, and generic, claims & promises—but this is a party record for sure. We're just glad Funk Flex is getting back to making mixtapes. This song will appear on the upcoming Who You Mad At? Me Or Yourself? compilation, but Flex needs to hurry up & bring back his The Mix Tape series.
2. PJ Morton (feat. Stevie Wonder) - "Only One"
This is one of those songs that make you remember why you originally fell in love with R&B. Turn up the volume, get your soul fix & go two-step to this soul jam. Oh, and Stevie on the harmonica is crisp as always.
3. Joey Bada$$ – "20 Miles"
Musically, Joey's beat selection on freestyles gives him rap validation as a MC (just listen to his 1999 mixtape to hear some impressively reworked J. Dilla cuts). Taking Mos Def's "UMI Says" to create "20 Miles" is just another example of that. There's no denying he a lyrical beast, but now it's time for Joey to break out and make more original material. That's when we'll really see if the young Bada$$ is the future of rap.
4. Curren$y – "Kingpin"
Definitely not Spitta's best, but freestyles tend to give you that extra room to fool around on wax. We'll give him a pass on this lackluster flow.
5. Nathaniel (feat. LL Cool J) – "L.O.V.E."
Much respect to Nate for keeping contemporary R&B moving forward—and also grabbin LL for a verse. It's not chart-topping material, but cool record overall.
6. Ryan McDermott (feat. Hit-Boy) – "Joy"
The instrumental on this is the real star. Mixing tribal elements with studio beats makes "Joy" an interesting listen. Hit-Boy is really on his A-game.
