Main Attrakionz Best Duo Ever (2010, Mixtape)
As I mentioned earlier, the sheer volume of new rap released over the last 10 days that I am legitimately excited to dive into is extremely exciting. At the same time, I definitely have not had the time required to really process a lot of said releases, though rest assured that this tape is slapping in my headphones as I type.
In a interesting turn of events, Squadda and MondreM.A.N. have essentially jammed multiple tracks into about half the songs on this tape, so a few minutes into these records they flip the beat up, and the lyrics take a detour into new territory. It’s a novel approach that’s more than a gimmick — it’s something they’ve tried before on other tapes (to some success), but really achieve the inter-song transitions they’ve been striving for on here.
There aren’t many rap groups (period…but that’s another discussion) willing or able to pull this feat off, and I think it works because even though M.A.z have a distinct sound, Squadda (and the other producers on board here) is able to subtly vary his beats for the internal track switches and still preserve an impressive level of cohesiveness across a 6+ minute tracks.
Either way, this is some of the best music we’ve heard from Oakland’s 5 Chapters, and as good a place as any to dive into their catalog.
Best Duo Ever? Lofty aspirations, but this is certainly a step in the right direction (minus the Khaled, “We The Best!” drops).
